Social media and the Arab revolutions: a comparative case study of the role of social media in political participation among Egyptian students between 2011 and 2013

The present study aims at identifying and monitoring the roles, which social media played during the revolutions of the Arab countries, particularly the Egyptian revolutions in both 2011 and 2013. It later attempts to assess the extent to which social media contributed to achieving political change in Egypt. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data from the Egyptian youth through a mixed design, using a questionnaire and interviews. The results obtained revealed that the participants believed that the political activists and young people in Arab countries used social media, which has become a strong political tool for change, as a means of political communication to activate and reinforce democracy. Additionally, social media, having a positive role in planning and encouraging demonstrations, contributed significantly to the development of the Arab Revolutions, especially the Egyptian revolution in 2011. However, Social media had a reduced role in 2013, and a fundamental change in the position of social media vis-à-vis more traditional media forms in the 2013 revolution. Which pushed all parties to work directly on the ground in most Egyptian areas.