Globally relevant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Globally relevant - Essay Example It changes the course of the history since wars impose economic and social implications in the countries involved. A government at war allocates its resources to its military forces, leaving social welfare and education with minor operating funds. Men are at times forced to join the infantry. Battles result to death, as well as destruction of infrastructures and facilities. Aside from the visible effects of wars, it dampens the spirit of the country’s citizens. Because of the serious effects of war, effort is thus put on promoting peace. The rise of social networking sites has made the promotion of peace an advocacy of anyone. It is a venue for even an ordinary person to talk or to share his thoughts with one or more members of the community from the convenience one’s home or workplace (Preston, 2011). In effect, it speeds up and widens information dissemination, organizes people, as well as provides a sense of community to its users. With the Internet and its networkin g sites, a local issue becomes a global occurrence. Such community built is special in a sense that it leads to what was called as networked individualism, implying the equal importance of community and individuality, since there is decentralization and more independence in this setting (Zhuo, Wellman & Yu, 2011, p. 6). Arguably, the biggest of them all is Facebook, which already reached one billion users in 2012 (Smith, Segall & Cowley, 2012). These people come from various countries and different socioeconomic strata. It thus has a potential of becoming a vital part of information dissemination and advocacy promotion worldwide. The freedom of expression in this medium, however, may also be used to instigate disagreements that can lead to war. Because of the double-edged potential of Facebook, this paper aims to discuss the role this social networking site has played in the promotion or suppression of peace in Egypt. In order to do this, these following questions should be answered : a. What are the instances that Facebook was used to promote or suppress peace in Egypt? b. What is the potential of Facebook in the peace process in the country? c. Is Facebook beneficial or deterrent in improving the social and political aspects of Egypt? Empowering Egypt through Facebook According to the article of Zhuo, Wellman & Yu (2011, p. 6) that discussed Egypt’s use of Facebook during its political struggle, the rise of social networks in the country resulted from the increase in the availability of internet and mobile phones. This lead to the emergence of socially relevant organizations that mobilize the community. Protests and social critique in venues such as Facebook has been found to be important in this country that is dominantly Islamic and authoritarian, since it is relatively free from state control, as compared to other media like TV, radio and newspapers. In addition, it resulted to increased communication with other countries, allowing the local issues of Egypt to be heard globally. In Egypt from 2008 to 2011, mobile access to Facebook became a vital part of protests that caused the end of ex-President Hosni Mubarak regime, which at that time prevented information dissemination, particularly citizens’ access to personal computers. The dates and locations of nonviolent protests were announced through groups such as the April 6 Youth Movement. Aside from being a