Measuring the Impact of Middle Eastern Social Media
Intro
Media in Egypt and Iran today
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Social media is a major part of internet culture. In the States, society is practically consumed by social media. In public spaces, many people can be seen scrolling through their phone screens looking at the latest news and topics. In Iran and Egypt, social media is a force in its own way. These nations have already experienced the effects of what social media can do, thanks to the "Twitter Uprising" in Iran in 2009 and the "Facebook Revolution" in Egypt in 2011. In both of these events, media played major roles in attempted rebellions against unjust governments. More information on those historic events can be found elsewhere on the website.
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Today, about 43 percent of Iran's citizens are on the internet. Many Egyptians are also online, as Egypt was the world's second nation to become a major internet presence.
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Facebook and Twitter are the most popular mediums in these nations today. However, both websites are banned from public use in Iran due to attempted uprisings that have resulted from the popularity of them. Many people who travel to Iran from other countries to visit families are forced to change their names on social media so the government cannot track their activity while they are there.
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Iranian news coverage is very conservative and has to portray the country in a positive light. This makes social media the more reliable news source (which is the opposite of what we're currently facing in the U.S.) because it's not as easily-monitored by the country.
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Because of this, many people in the younger generation (ages 18-24) use social media as their primary outlet for news. Young people trust online websites more than they trust their local news stations, which is essentially the opposite thing you see in America with the rise of "fake news." The freedom of speech and expression isn't something that is celebrated in the Middle East the same way it is protected in America, and as such the Internet and social media are a blessing for these people.
First-Hand Experiences
Many Americans with ties to Iran and Egypt have experienced vast differences in the way media is treated overseas. Their stories are documented below.
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Arash Borhani​, Iran
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“A lot of it has to do with the amount of freedom compared to the U.S. Sites like Google, in the U.S. you can look up pornography and things of that nature. Places like Iran, that kind of indecency is not accepted. Also in social media sites like Facebook, the government blocks [the website] for those same reasons. Also [Iranian Facebook users] can’t speak badly about the president openly like [Americans] do with Donald Trump. Also just general political issue involving Iran is unacceptable to post. However, many people find certain sites to unblock those filters to be able to access Facebook but they have to use fake names.”
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Anonymous Interview, Iran
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“I’m pretty sure Twitter is blocked right now, as is Skype. It comes and goes sometimes, there’s no official ruling on it over there, they kind of do what they want. People who use social media are very conservative about what they post, because it can really come back to haunt you in the worst ways possible. Facebook goes in and out too. A lot of people I know use Facebook but they use different names, they won’t use their actual names because they don’t want to be as easily identified. A lot of the laws they have in public they can choose to have them apply to social media as well.”
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“The most popular is Facebook because it’s been around the longest, there’s a wide array of things you can do with it and it’s harder to censor. Things like Twitter, Vine, and Snapchat, there can be quick posts that can show intense things that are easier to censor. The primary use of Facebook is to contact people around the world so it’s harder to censor that.”
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“There’s always a fear that when you’re visiting, someone might think you’re a spy or something. It won’t be as easy to use social media but there are ways around it. Nowadays with social media it becomes a lot easier for people in the country to know what’s happening outside of it. The government wants to portray their country in a way that’s favorable, while social media might make it seem not as great as people think.”
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“Social media both helps and hurts protestors. They might not know how to use it, which can hurt them. For everyday usage, it’s a world of difference if you’re visiting. There’s just not that many people on it, and it’s blocked one day but not the next and you can get thrown in jail for what you post. It’s the government’s idea of a clean image that they want to keep and you can get punished for going against it. It’s very helpful for social movements though in kind of the same way as the U.S.”
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“As far as social media usage, I’d say it’s definitely more limited because of the government there. Many websites can be blocked or unblocked occasionally. For example, if people want to use Skype they can instead use other websites like Oovoo to get around it, and then the government has to catch up to that too.”
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“Iranian women aren’t allowed in sports stadiums for example, but they were allowed in the Olympics because it was in a different country. So Iranian news networks had to use special camera angels so they didn’t show women from Iran in the crowd.”
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“A big part of social media usage in Iran is used to figure out what’s happening outside of Iran. They’ve been exposed to American culture, and the nation’s people are very young, so many Iranians become hopeful that change is coming soon because of American culture. There’s a huge amount of underground clubs and gay bars that people get shunned for in Iran, but they’re learning that the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily view things the same way.”