Article published in:
Media and communication as antecedents to the transformation agenda in Malaysia: Challenges and realities
Edited by Ali Salman
[Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 25:2] 2015
► pp. 220–230

Social media and the arab spring

Dissemination of information among Malaysians

| Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
The year 2010 has seen the rise of West Asia with the Arab Spring phenomena. The event has triggered the solidarity of at least 8 countries in the region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and has seen the ousting of Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Malaysia is emotionally attached to Egypt through religion, economy and education which has led Malaysians to track the event. In the meantime, the media is seen as the catalyst towards the rise of the people there. The democratic system depends very much on free, accurate and responsible flow of credible information. The flow of information has brought huge changes in the communications aspect. This article will discuss about the impact of social media as the main source of information channel among Malaysians during the massive uprise in Egypt.
Keywords: social media, communication, credible information, solidarity, Middle East conflict
Published online: 11 December 2015
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.25.2.05ahm
References

References

Afendi Hamat, Mohamed Amin Embi & Haslinda Abu Hassan
(2012) The use of social Sites among Malaysian University Students. International Education Studies, 5(3), 56–62. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Alasaad, S.
(2013) War diseases revealed by the social media: Massive leishmaniasis outbreak in the Syrian Spring. Parasites & Vectors, 6(94), 1–3. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Anas, O.
(2013) The changing profile of media in the Arab States. Global Media Journal Arabian, 2(1-2), 28–46.Google Scholar
Aouragh, M.
(2012) Social media, mediation and the Arab revolutions. Triple C, 10(2), 518–536.Google Scholar
Bhuiyan, I.S.
(2011) Social media and its effectiveness in the political reform movement in Egypt. Middle East Media Educator, 1(1), 14–20.Google Scholar
Bruns, A., Highfield, T., & Burgess, J.
(2013) The Arab Spring and social media audiences: English and Arabic twitter Uuers and their networks. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(7), 871–898. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Harlow, S., & Johnson, T.
(2011) Overthrowing the protest paradigm? How the New York Times, Global Voices and Twitter covered the Egyptian revolution. International Journal of Communication, 5, 1359–1374.Google Scholar
Hassan, K.
(2012) Making sense of the Arab Spring: Listening to the voices of Middle Eastern activists. Development, 55(2), 232–238. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Kemp, S.
(2012) We are social: Social, digital and mobile in Malaysia. http://​wearesocial​.net​/blog​/2012​/01​/social​-digital​-mobile​-malaysia/
Muniandy, L., & Muniandy, B.
(2013) The Impact of social media in social and political aspects in Malaysia: An overview. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3 (11): 71–76.Google Scholar
Lim, M.
(2012) Clicks, cabs, and coffee houses: Social media and oppositional movements in Egypt, 2004–2011. Journal of Communication, 62, 231–248. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lindlof, T.R., & Taylor, B.C.
(2011) Qualitative communication research methods. 3rd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Lotan, G, Graeff, E., Ananny, M., Gaffney,D, Pearce,I & Boyd, D.
(2011) The revolutions were tweeted: Information flows during the 2011 Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. International Journal of Communicationm, 5, 1375–1405.Google Scholar
Lynch, M.
(2012) The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East. New York: PublicAffairsGoogle Scholar
Mansour, E.
(2012) The role of social networking sites (SNSs) in the January 25th Revolution in Egypt. The Electronic Library, 61(2), 128–159. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Mohd Safar Hasim, Siti Rugayah Hj. Tibek Zamri Arifin, Ali Salman & Aida I.M. Koni
(2013) Gender perspective on the Arab Spring. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 102( 2013 ), 236 – 241. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Musgrave, P.
(2012) The making of the pundit, 2010: When strong ties trump weak ones. Features, 265–269.Google Scholar
Safurah Abd Jalil, Khaizuran Abd Jalil & Azmi Abdul Latiff
(2010) Social media and our youths today: Exploring the impact of social media on Malaysian youths. In International Conference on Communications and Media, 18–20 June 2010, Bayview Hotel, MalaccaGoogle Scholar
Soengas, X.
(2013) The role of the internet and social networks in the Arab Uprisings: An alternative to official press censorship. Communicar, 41(21): 147–155. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Szajkowski, B.
(2011) Social media tools and the Arab revolts. Alternative Politics, 3(3), 420–432.Google Scholar
Tufekci, Z., & Wilson, C.
(2012) Social media and the decision to participatein political protest: Observations from Tahrir Square. Journal of Communication, 62: 363–379. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Tusa, F
(2013) How social media can shape a protest movement: The cases of Egypt in 2011 and iran in 2009. Arab Media and Society, 17(Winter), 1–19.Google Scholar
Eltantawy, N. & Wiest, B.J
(2011) Social media in the Egyptian revolution: Reconsidering resource mobilization theory. International Journal of Communication, 5, 1207–1224.Google Scholar
Wolfsfeld, G., Segev, E., & Sheafer, T.
(2013) Social media and the Arab Spring: Politics comes first. The International Journal of Press/Politic, 18(2), 115–137. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Wong Fei Mun, Lean Mei Li & Prasana Rosaline Fernandez
(2011) Social life connects the world: Malaysian youth’s usage behaviour of social network sites. International Journal of Arts & Sciences, 4(3), 157–178.Google Scholar