Politics gone viral : social media and political mobilization : in what respects are social media effective tools for initiating political mobilization and stimulating political change in order to challenge authoritarian regimes?

The rise of new media has continued to have a profound effect on the global political system. Social media in particular have seen an exponential increase in penetration globally. The recent Arab uprisings that began in 2010 across the MENA region have challenged authoritarian resilience, which has been a prominent feature of the region for several decades. This project examines the rise of social media and their effects on the political system, specifically the role played by social media in undermining the power of authoritarian regimes. Traditionally authoritarian regimes have used many methods in order to maintain power. These have included: maintaining a strong coercive apparatus, the strategic introduction of certain institutions and the role of traditional legitimacy, and/or charismatic or personalistic leadership. This dissertation considers whether the use of social media has changed the balance of power within states enabling citizens to overthrow their authoritarian leaders. Two case studies; Tunisia and Syria are analysed to show the effects of social media on the political uprisings in both nations.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Political Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Webb, Dominique Victoria

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Butler, Anthony

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13173

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13173