The Arab spring refers to the uprisings that took place in North Africa and the Middle East in the early 2010s. The revolution in Egypt took place in 2011 and led to the fall of the regime of President Hosni Mubarak (Alexander and Aouragh 891). Alalawi stresses that the major goals of the Egyptian uprising were the resignation of Mubarak and “the fight against poverty, corruption, accuracy, especially in food, unemployment and police brutality” (132). It is necessary to note that media played a certain role in the development of the revolutionary movement, but different types of media were used differently. This paper focuses on different roles print media, news agencies and social media played in the Egyptian revolution of 2011.
It is possible to start with the analysis of print media that could be divided into three major types such as local pro-governmental, local independent and international newspapers. The messages were created and communicated by professionals whose opinions were often rather biased (Elmasry et al. 1633). As for the pro-governmental newspapers, they claimed that the revolution was a threat to the order and the overall well-being of the nation (Hamdy and Gomaa 197). They tried to make people less willing to participate in the uprising. At the same time, independent sources tried to be more objective, at least, at the beginning of the revolution. However, they soon started revealing their support of the protestors’ views and actions. Hamdy and Gomaa emphasize that independent newspapers had a more people-oriented perspective as compared to state-owned sources as the former focused on such aspects as social justice and people’s well-being rather than economic or political outcomes (201).
International news agencies also tried to remain objective, but this goal was rarely achieved. Alalawi considers the way FOX News highlighted the events and states that the channel was rather biased, and it distorted certain events as well as shaped the public opinion concerning some of the major stakeholders (133). It is necessary to note that FOX News can be regarded as one of the most influential sources in the USA (and is viewed by a large international audience). However, the reporters of this news agency often associated the Muslim Brotherhood (which was one of the important forces in the revolutionary movement) with Islamic extremism and terrorism, “a fanatical and radical organization” that was “menace against democracy in Egypt” (Alalawi 136). It is noteworthy that the most influential local news agency, Al Jazeera, was also rather biased, but it revealed another opinion on the matter. This news agency revealed its support of protestors and is even regarded as an important force that contributed to the resignation of Mubarak (Alalawi 137). It is necessary to add that local people watched Al Jazeera while people across the globe learned about the situation in Egypt from FOX News reports.
Social media have also played a certain role in the uprising. They were used by protestors who highlighted events and informed about the locations for certain actions (Aouragh and Alexander 1354). Importantly, social media were not used by workers who are regarded as one of the major forces that contributed to the fall of the regime (Aouragh and Alexander 1353). Researchers note that this fact can be explained by a considerable attention (of police, for example) paid to unions’ and certain workers’ activities. Nevertheless, workers still managed to hold numerous acts of social unrest, protests and so on even though they did not use any type of media mentioned above. Social media are also regarded as two-sided as they could help protestors communicate and plan their activities while they could also be used as a surveillance tool detecting the most active people (Aouragh and Alexander 1353).
It is necessary to note that the peculiarities of each type of media affected the way they contributed to the uprising. There are different views on the actual impact of social media as some believe that they played the central role while others stress that these tools can also be used to suppress uprisings and shape the public opinion (Comunello and Anzera 464). Many young people and some scholars stress that social media can be seen as some of the primary tools of the revolution. However, this effect was rather specific. For instance, Aouragh and Alexander note that social media could not cause the revolution as it was a result of various social and political movements and actions that had taken place before the 2010s (1353). At the same time, the attempts to shut down cell phone connection and social media were an important impetus that “pushed even apolitical people to take action” (Comunello and Anzera 465). It is also noteworthy that the outcomes of the use of social media were far-reaching as the news (or rather messages and images) were made known to the public across the globe. This wide coverage could also contribute to the fall of Mubarak through the attention other countries paid to the conflict.
As for the role of newspapers and news agencies, these media can be regarded as major sources of information for many people and a tool to shape people’s perspectives. Elmasry et al. stress that Egyptian journalists and media tend to lack objectivity due to the long history of oppression that has characterized the development of media in the country (1633). Although Egyptians were aware of this flaw, they still used newspapers as the major source of knowledge especially when there were problems with the Internet and mobile connection (Hamdy and Gomaa 208). When it comes to TV news channels, their role was rather confined to highlighting events from a particular perspective, which was also noticed by Egyptians as well as people across the world (Alalawi 138). Therefore, these media were regarded as some sources of information that communicated particular messages to the target audience.
In conclusion, it is difficult to identify the most influential media that contributed greatly to the success of the revolution in Egypt. It is necessary to consider all the types of media mentioned above as different facets of a concept that played an important role in the uprising. At that, media did not cause the revolution. It is impossible to note that media were central forces that helped people overthrow the regime. However, they still played an important role as they highlighted different perspectives. Sometimes social media are regarded as the central tool used by protestors to arrange various venues. However, this role was largely overestimated. This brief analysis of the role of media shows that media can shape the public opinion, they can be used as the tool of unification of anti-regime forces or the oppression tool. These characteristics should be taken into account when analyzing protests or organizing them.
Works Cited
Alalawi, Noura. “How Media Covered “Arab Spring” Movement: Comparison Between the American Fox News and the Middle Eastern Al Jazeera.” Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism, vol. 5, no. 11, 2015, pp. 131-140.
Alexander, Anne, and Miriyam Aouragh. “Egypt’s Unfinished Revolution: The Role of the Media Revisited.” International Journal of Communication, vol. 8, 2014, pp. 890-915.
Aouragh, Miriyam, and Anne Alexander. “The Egyptian Experience: Sense and Nonsense of the Internet Revolution.” International Journal of Communication, vol. 5, 2011, pp. 1344-1358.
Comunello, Francesca, and Giuseppe Anzera. “Will the Revolution Be Tweeted? A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Social Media and the Arab Spring.” Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, vol. 23, no. 4, 2012, pp. 453-470.
Elmasry, Mohamad Hamas, Dina Mohamed Basiony, and Sara Farag Elkamel. “Egyptian Journalistic Professionalism in the Context of Revolution: Comparing Survey Results from Before and After the January 25, 2011 Uprising.” International Journal of Communication, vol. 8, 2014, pp. 1615-1637.
Hamdy, Naila, and Ehab H. Gomaa. “Framing the Egyptian Uprising in Arabic Language Newspapers and Social Media.” Journal of Communication, vol. 62, no. 2, 2012, pp. 195-211.