The Emerging Role of Social Media in Political and Regime Change By Rita Safranek

"[Social relationships are constructed and how communication is
produced, mediated, and received] and state power becomes more porous and  there is  less control". Do you think this is true for the United States? Is there any chance something similar would happen here as it did in Egypt?


When you think of events such as the timinin square protests, Kent state, and other historical movements/protests, do you think social media would have altered the direction of these movements?  Civilian deaths would have made it to the public faster, would this prevent the governments from killing them then?

Following my last question, on a slightly different note, refer to the quote: "The Red Shirt uprising in Thailand in 2010 followed a similar but quicker path: Protestors savvy with social media occupied downtown Bangkok until the Thai government dispersed the protestors, killing dozens” (Shirky)". In this case, social media did not prevent the government from killing their own civilians. Why do you think social media did not succeed in both preventing this, and spreading the word that this happened?

If social media were to change something within this nation, what do you think it would change/influence first, if at all? (Legalization of marijuana, Gay rights, equal pay, etc). Do you think social media is practical in promoting these changes?