The Role of the Internet in Political Struggles: Some Conclusions from Iran and Egypt

This article focuses on the internet-facilitated revolutions of the Green Movement in Iran in 2009 and the recent 2011 events in Egypt that led to the ousting of Mubarak. In both cases of political unrest, the internet and mainly social media were considered an important influence that helped spark and organize the protests. However, the hype created on the internet's relation to facilitating these events has hindered a deeper understanding of some more crucial ways, as well as the potential extent that digital communications can influence contemporary political insurgencies. This article sheds some light on less explicitly articulated aspects of these political events and the role of digital communications in them, drawing conclusions by looking at the socio-political background and the protests and countermeasures that took place in Iran and Egypt during the latest periods of political unrest.