Away with the Gatekeepers

In the wake of the January 25, 2011 Revolution in Egypt there has been much speculation in Western media about the role social media played in bringing down Hosni Mubarak after 30 years of autocratic rule, many even going so far as to call it a "Facebook revolution." This book argues that social media greatly enhanced Egyptian nonviolent struggle and political defiance as defined by nonviolent struggle theorists Gene Sharp and Peter Ackerman, in particular by enabling coordinated mass action, decentralization of leadership structure, creation of alternative media and social structures, all of which are key aspects of successful nonviolent struggle. This book attempts to demonstrate how social media successfully complimented nonviolent struggle in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. Key themes: Little known aspects of cloud-based strategic planning documents in creating organized mass movement using social media. Military-like application of social media as a decentralized command and control platform. Force multiplier aspects of social media and mobile devices and its implications for defense. Application of Strategic Nonviolent Struggle principles using social media in Egypt.