The Use of Social Media in Political Revolutions

Social media played a crucial role during the Arab Spring, facilitating the toppling of adversarial governments in the Obama administration, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia. The collaboration between the State Department and social media companies was vital for maintaining online platforms, enabling free expression and organization for protestors. A notable instance involved a communication from Google's Jared Cohen urging Twitter to postpone maintenance to allow opposition groups in Iran to effectively use the platform during an election. This indicates that free speech was strategically utilized as a tool of statecraft within the national security framework.