Social networking changes history
Most of us go to our Twitter and Facebook sites to engage in our daily lives and activities. Having this technology helps us understand what is going on worldwide.
Google marketing executive Wael Ghonim helped create a Facebook page devoted to a victim of police brutality in Egypt. Ghonim fought against the poverty and corruption of his country by exposing the body of a young businessman beaten to death for trying to take a stand against police corruption.
Facebook and Twitter have played a big role in the Egyptian uprising. Social networking helped protestors organize and communicate with one another to bring about the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak.
Ghonim, 30, is Google’s head of marketing in the Middle East and a father of two. He was arrested Jan. 27 after joining the protest in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and held for 12 days before being released.
Youth of today engaging in social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are able to not only communicate with one another but also have more opportunities for engagement in civic and political issues. Ghonim’s Facebook page helped in promoting democracy and organizing protests in Cairo.
Social media has come a long way from its original purpose – to provide a way to connect with another person. Today we rely on social networks to conduct everyday business. We are active participants who receive news through networks we have created. We are, in turn, able to pass that news along to one another.
Social networking has encouraged younger people to get involved in politics. In Egypt, Google and Twitter have helped protestors have a voice.
Social networking sites have helped broaden horizons and allowed us to see what is going on in the rest of the world.
Imagine a protestor displaying a picture of a wounded man on a cell phone for all the world to see. This alone gives us a picture of reality. The impact of what we read is heightened through the use of social network sites and the user’s ability to post videos and photos within minutes of an incident.
Ghonim’s heroic act in creating the Facebook page that started the protests in Egypt was felt around the world. Communication through the media and social networks is an expedient way to tell the world what’s happening.
