Citizen Journalism in Libya: Re-Routing Narrative & Nationhood (Muftah.org)

March 30, 2011 (Original LinkMuftah.org): As recent uprisings in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region continue to demonstrate, the new array of communication mediums available to this generation of activists has proven to be a powerful tool for political mobilization. The anonymity and wide reach of the internet, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, cell phones, and other forms of communication have provided a forum for protesters pursuing regime change (successfully achieved in Tunisia and Egypt in February and January of 2011) and as a means by which to denounce human rights abuses taking place in countries where change has faced a greater uphill battle (Libya, Bahrain, and most recently Syria.) Yet, the increased usage of mobile media for the purpose of citizen journalism in the MENA region also presents a tipping point in the way information and the role of the citizen is viewed in the Arab world, with implications far beyond the present changes sweeping the region.

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