From Autocracy to Democracy: The Impact of Social Media on the Transformation Process in North Africa and Middle East

Abstract

Within a short time, a number of North African and Middle Eastern countries have moved from authoritarian regimes to initiate the process of democratic change in what is called the 2011 revolutions or the Arab Spring. These unexpected and unpredicted revolutions were real political surprises in those countries as well as outside the countries. This paper explores the role of social media in the lead up to the uprisings of 2011. On the basis of meta-analysis of published and electronic sources, the paper seeks to argue that social media and social network sites had played a catalytic role in the 2011 revolts in North Africa and Middle East.