Egyptian Revolution: Analyzing the Media

The media has become an extremely powerful tool for all of society. Every TV broadcast, newspaper, blog, or post on a social networking site can change the world. Through the functions of each media channel, along with the different types of reporting, the media had a positive affect on the revolution over all. 

• Almost every single source of news on the Egyptian revolution was either from social media, or had links to social media – not to mention that social media played a vital role in the revolution itself. The first protest was planned over Facebook, and revolutionary events are still being planned on this site today. It is extremely likely that the Egyptian Revolution would not have been able to happen so effectively and on such a large scale if it was not for social media. This rapid and widespread form of communication allowed thousands of people to know what was going on, and join in; it brought people from completely different walks of life together for one sole purpose; and it gave people a platform to express themselves and communicate to masses of people whom they wouldn’t have been able to reach without social media. 

Though there is one instance where lack of social media benefited the revolution, it still wouldn’t have happened without it. On January 28^th, 2011 the Egyptian government, in retaliation, cut off all internet access. As a result citizens who would have normally sat at home and watched for news about the revolution were forced to go outside to see for themselves, and they ended up joining in on the action. Though this lack of social media helped, the people sitting at home wouldn’t have been as informed about what was going on, and wouldn’t have been so eager to find out. Also, the revolution probably would have been much more chaotic and unorganized if people hadn’t been able to organize it so well and discuss it so much. Lastly, if it weren’t for social media, the revolution probably wouldn’t have gotten so much support from other countries across the world.

• Each media channel (i.e. social network, newspaper, etc.) has different advantages over others. Facebook can be updated the quickest, has biggest following from all sorts of people, and is the most interactive of the media channels. I found that newspaper was the most informative, and definitely the most credible. The blogs were easiest to absorb, because they were the simplest and had the most personable tone. The TV Broadcasts were the most stimulating, covered the most information, and were also the most credible. Each has their advantages over others. 

• Many of the different news medias covered use multiple channels to convey their stories. For example the video “Reflections On and Unfinished Revolution” from can only be viewed online, though The New York Times is also published in print every day. Also, the broadcast “Novelist Ahdaf Soueif on Egypt’s Revolution: ‘People Were Rediscovering Themselves’” is both a TV and radio show. The site also has options for real audio stream, MP3 download, real video stream, MPEG-4 video download, audio and video podcasts, and for iTunes subscriptions. Also, the newspapers and television newscasts are daily publications, while the blogs and social media can be updated anytime at all.

• Both citizen journalism and professional journalism play an important role in the news media. Citizen journalism – which is definitely becoming more and more popular – allows anyone to create the news, which gives people more power and allows us to gain a broader perspective on peoples’ views. Most importantly, it gives people even more freedom of speech (which could bring up debates about when, if ever, to censor). Though this is all true, professional journalism still has its definite advantages. It is much more credible than citizen journalism for obvious reasons, and in many cases it is easier to absorb because they are trained in how to express the news and make it comprehensible.