REVOLUTIONS, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, SOCIAL CHANGE: HOW HAS THE INTERNET INFLUENCED RECENT REVOLUTIONS?
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Date
2014-06-04
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
Information communication technologies have played a significant role in the history of our world. Whether it was the telegraph, telephone, radio, television or most recently the Internet, each left an indelible impact on the way we communicate, relate and share stories. The use of technology to promote ideologies is of fascinating thought. Technological advancements have empowered the cry of injustice or the voice of human rights. The range and extent of the proliferation of creeds/philosophies, some resulting in the eruption of revolutions, can be traced, in part, to the effectual use of technology. This thesis will explore how the Internet's presence or absence influenced three revolutions.
This thesis makes a contribution to this discussion, by examining three recent revolutions: The Ukrainian Orange Revolution of 2004, the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and the Iranian Revolution of 1979. I initiate this discussion by stating the historical background of each revolution and the grievances felt by so many in each country. Then, I examine the influence of the Internet on the two most recent revolutions. In the third chapter, I test the influential factors of the Internet in the Egyptian and Ukrainian revolutions with the factors and events of the Iranian revolution to compare historical events and hypothetical constructs that could have happened or didn’t happen due to the absence of the Internet.
This thesis was read and reviewed by Sara Clarke and Lee Drutman and further approved by Sarah O’Bryne and Mark Stout.
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social media, ICTs, global revolutions, Egyptian revolutions, Orange Revolution, Iranian Revolution, Internet