Stories about Digital Activism from January, 2011
Egypt: Visualizing Topics Shared on Twitter
Twitter has played an instrumental role in keeping the world abreast of the latest developments in Egypt, where demonstrations against the 30-year rule of president Hosni Mubarak have entered their fourth day. The following widget shows Twitter content mentioning the hashtag #jan25 over the last three days, and are all related to terms mentioned in people's Twitter messages.
Egypt: Videos Are Worth a Million Words
The Egyptian government is bracing itself for a fourth consecutive day of demonstrations. Activists have been circulating pamphlets and sharing videos via the Internet. The government has reacted by shutting off the the whole network. A quick roundup of videos posted YouTube urging people to join Friday's planned protest.
Cuba: Second Arrest for Fariñas
On learning that Guillermo Fariñas was arrested for a second time in less than 24 hours, Uncommon Sense says: “Nothing is unusual about what is happening…what is unusual is for the police to move so aggressively against someone with Fariñas’ profile, someone whose arrest will get at least a few...
Egypt: Countdown for Day of Rage Continues
Netizens from around the world are holding their breath, as widespread demonstrations are scheduled to begin in Egypt in less than an hour. International support is overwhelming, as well as a clear defiance to back Egyptian protesters and make their voices heard despite the total information blackout.
Egypt: Netizens Rise for the Support of Egyptians on their Day of Rage
The countdown for mass protests across Egypt has started, with very little information trickling from the ground after the Egyptian authorities shut down the Internet and virtually all other communication with the outside world. The aim is to clampdown on the protesters and netizens are fearing the worst.
Ukraine: YouTube Helps Discipline Traffic Police
Tetyana Bohdanova reports on how Ukrainians are using the Internet to expose unlawful actions committed by traffic police.
Egypt: An Internet Black Hole
Over the past few days, as protesting Egyptians have utilized social media tools for organizing and disseminating information, they've also come across numerous obstacles to access. Tonight, the biggest barrier yet as the country's Internet access is cut off.
Ukraine: Police Treatment of Foreigners Raises Concerns Ahead of Euro 2012
Tetyana Bohdanova reviews the netizens' reactions to a recent episode of ill-treatment of foreigners by the Ukrainian police, a trend that is especially alarming since Ukraine is currently preparing to co-host the 2012 European Football Championship together with Poland.
Ecuador: Blog Competition Focusing on Public Safety
Ecuadorian bloggers are encouraged to participate in a Blog Competition [es] organized by the Guayaquil Canton to, “encourage the use of blogs as a platform for expression of ideas by discussing proposals related to public safety in the canton.” Visit the site [es] for more details and follow the competition on Facebook and Twitter.
Syria: Internet Users Race to Support Egyptian Protesters
As protests to take down the Mubarak regime in Egypt rage on, Syrians are rushing to aid the protesters in every way they can.
Cuba: Fariñas Arrested & Released
Uncommon Sense has been following the recent arrest of Cuban independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas and calls his detainment a “We told you so” moment. He has subsequently been released.
Russia: Domodedovo Bombings Expose Imbalance Between Traditional and Social Media
Social media played a significant role in the coverage of the terrorist attack in Domodedovo International Airport near Moscow. Russian bloggers and journalists discussed the consequences of increasing role of blogs and Twitter in emergency situations. Gregory Asmolov analyzes the roles of the government, traditional and new media in the coverage of the attack.
Arab World: New Media and the Egyptian Demonstrations
The Arab World is looking in awe at the developments unfolding in Egypt. Today, mainstream media is taking a back seat, while citizen media triumphs. Arab bloggers share their reflections on the protests in Egypt, as witnessed from their computer screens.
Russia: Students Launch Online Map of Illegal Gambling
Students of Saratov University of Technology launched gdecasino.ru, a crowd-sourcing website dedicated to map illegal gambling sites. A representative of Russian police said [RUS] to “Komsomolskaya pravda” newspaper that the website has already helped to close few illegal casinos.
Egypt: Continuous Coverage of the Protests on Facebook
A continuous coverage page is available for the January 25 protests on this April 6 Youth Movement Facebook page (Ar). Reports surfaced today that Facebook was blocked in Egypt.
Iran: A blogger's life in danger
Hrana, human rights activists news agency, reports [fa] that Hossein Maleki Ronaghi ‘s life is in danger and he needs urgent medical care. Hossein Maleki Ronaghi has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hussein Rongah Melki (also known as “Babak Khoramdin”) was one of the key cyberactivists behind Iran...
Chile's “Green Revolution”: Fighting Coal Mining in Isla Riesco
Daniel Arellano [es] writes about Chile's “Green Revolution”: Environmental activists and concerned citizens are trying to raise awareness about 5 coal mining projects and the effects they would have on Isla Riesco, an island in the southernmost region of Chile.
Peru: Discussing Gay Marriage During a Presidential Campaign Year
Carlos A. Quiroz discusses gay marriage in Peru in a video in his blog Peruanista [es]. Peruvians are debating equal marriage in the wake of this year's presidential elections.
Bahamas, D.R.: Fish Poaching
Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith notes that “a recent report…has confirmed that poaching by commercial fishermen from the Dominican Republic is the greatest single threat to Bahamian seafood resources.”
Guyana: End of Relationship, Not End of Life
The Guyana Groove is concerned about “the extremely high rate” of domestic violence, especially “in those cases in which one or both of the partners left the relationship.”
Egypt: After Twitter, Facebook Now Blocked
Egypt today blocked access to Facebook, as part of its clampdown on the transfer of information, following yesterday's protests. Also, yesterday, it blocked access to Twitter, jammed mobile communications in areas protesters were gathering in, and banned access to live video streaming site Bambuser.
