ROLE OF MEDIA

Role of Media in the Success of Egyptian Revolution

Contents

Introduction1

1.1 Political History of Egypt1

1.2 Features of the Revolution2

1.3 Background of Media in Egypt4

1.3.1 Media under Mubarak's Regime5

1.4 Introduction of Internet in Egyptian Society and its Positive Impact5

1.5 Social Injustices that Triggered the Revolution6

Conclusion7

References9

Chapter I: Background of the Revolution and Media in Egypt

Introduction

Egypt is situated in the region of North Africa. It is considered to be a transnational country. The major focus of this paper is to explore the revolution which occurred in 2011. The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 is referred to as a major uprising primarily fuelled by the impact of social media. The uprising began on 25th January, 2011. The Egyptian Revolution comprised of a number of protests and marches. A large number of protestors participated in the protests and marches during the Egyptian revolution. The revolution in Egypt mainly turned out to be a campaign of non-violent civil resistance.

Another significant aspect in the Egyptian revolution were the strikes of the labour community that led to economic stagnation for the country. The major focus of this chapter is to discuss “the role of media in the Egyptian Revolution”. The main objective of is to highlight the aspects of media and advancements in social media which led to the revolution in 2011. A brief discussion on the political history, media in the country and the arrival of internet would be discussed with respect to its relationship with the Egyptian Revolution.

1.1 Political History of Egypt

The politics of Egypt has evolved ever since its inception. Over the past few years, the country's political framework has been in the limelight due to the uprising against the then ruling political regime in the country. From a historical perspective, Egypt was initially ruled by a monarchical dynasty. The country transformed into a Republic mode of government in the year 1953; as a consequence of the revolt of 1952 (Alissa, 2007, pp. 2). The first President of Egypt was Mohamed Naguib. However, since 1981, Egypt was ruled by the dictatorial regime of former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak (Richter, 2007, pp. 177).

A close analysis of the political spectrum of the country reveals that the National Democratic Party and the Muslim Brotherhood have long enjoyed political influence in Egypt. During the days of Mubarak's regime; limited political activity was allowed, but still the parties managed to mobilize the masses with the help of social media. In Egypt's political history; many anti-democratic measures have been witnessed i.e. control over formation of associations and trade unions. The social media played a vital role in dissipating the long held beliefs and orthodox governmental practices.

1.2 Features of the Revolution

The Egyptian revolution has major significance in the history of Egypt and it includes various important features. The Egyptian Revolution began on 25th January, 2011 with the demonstrations on thousands of men protesting throughout the country of Egypt. Finally the protestors from different parts of the country gathered in Cairo. The objective of the protestors in this revolution was ...