Social Networks are a relatively new invention to Internet users. Nonetheless, their use was commonly known among people from all over the world in a relatively short time. One of the best-known and biggest examples of social networks is Facebook.
Facebook has reached more than 500 million active users, people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook, as well as, the average user who is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.
Social Networks like Facebook developed into a new releam that it is not just a mere web place where people can “re-connect with their family and friends.” it has turned into a tool for people to advertise, market and to spread their opinions and their believes, and to even initiate movements that possibly could, and did, change the world culturally and politically.
The most interesting aspect is that people all over the world are connected to each other and could easily in a heart beat chat or “post on walls” and share topics about their theories about life and cultures, their religious or spiritual beliefs, and most importantly and most common, their political beliefs as well.
People are so empowered through these social networks, that they were able to utilize them for demanding rights from oppressing governments, for voicing their concerns about many cultural and political issues in wherever they are located. And this is very evident in the recent events, where the Egyptian rise-up was all organized and initiated on a Facebook page by an Internet activist and a former Google executive in Egypt named Wael Ghonim.
This cyber revolution did not only happen in Egypt, but in Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and many more Arab and Middle Eastern countries. Putting aside revolutions, Facebook users in general are heavily involved in Middle Eastern and Arabic politics according to another blogger named Issandr Al Amrani. “Perhaps it's common in other parts of the world, but I am struck to what extent Facebook has become an integral part of Arab politics — a place where people organize, debate and even government officials weigh in,” Al Amrani commented on many groups and events that are Middle Eastern politically related.
As I mentioned earlier, social networks play crucial roles nowadays more than they ever did. And this Social Network “revolution” will continue in many years to come.
