The Impact of Social Media on the Arab Spring Uprising in Egypt: An Essay to Discuss Cause Versus Acceleration

The focus of this essay is to provide an analysis of the effect of social media on the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt in 2011. What has now been coined the “Arab Spring” began with protests in Tunisia in late 2010. It then quickly spread to countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It resulted in national leadership changes in Egypt as well as Tunisia, Yemen and Libya. In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak ended his presidency on Friday, February 11, 2011 as a result of the actions of protestors, numbering in excess of 2 million in Egypt. Communication mechanisms always play a role in grass root uprisings which have led to national leadership changes. There has been much discussion and some academic work on what part social media played in Egypt’s Arab Spring uprising. Some even credit the start of the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt with a Facebook page administered by Wael Ghonim. The site, We are all Khaled Saeed, brought worldwide attention to the death of Khaled Mohamed Saeed; a young Egyptian man that died while in police custody. This essay seeks to understand what impact social media played on the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt. Was social media simply a communication tool utilized in the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt? Or, was social media in Egypt more than a tool. Was it an accelerator to the eventual outcome of the uprising?

Scott A. Stawski is an Author and an Executive for Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Scott is responsible for managing the sales and revenue generation activities for HPE's largest and most strategic global accounts.

Scott brings a wealth of experience in business outcome-based technology service delivery. He has led numerous multimillion-dollar business intelligence and technology solutions and strategy engagements for Global 500 companies. A trusted advisor for CEOs, CFOs, and CIOs in the Americas, Scott is a recognized expert in analytics and data management, technology strategy, outsourcing, and next-generation application transformation to the cloud. 

He is the Author of Inflection Point: How the Convergence of Cloud, Mobility, Apps, and Data Will Shape the Future of Business published by Pearson FT Press. A contributing writer for leading media outlets including TheStreet.com, Scott is a speaker and facilitator at many of the leading industry shows and conferences and is frequently interviewed and quoted by leading media outlets, including The Economist, The Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Editor & Publisher, Crain's Chicago Business, and National Public Radio.

Scott is also Secretary of the Board for the Celina Economic Development Council and active with ChildFund International and Shakespeare Dallas and is working towards his Master of Liberal Arts, Extension Studies at Harvard University.