The document discusses how new media enabled the Arab Spring protests and discusses challenges in understanding global events. It argues that the internet empowered activists and enabled group formation. While offline activism relies on strong ties, online activism can leverage weak ties. However, it is difficult to understand other parts of the world. The document provides suggestions for how to gain a more globally aware perspective, including translating content, bridging cultures, curating diverse information, and becoming a xenophile.

1. The Arab Spring and The Power of Attention
or, How Not to Miss the Next Revolution
Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference 2011
April 12, 2011
Ethan Zuckerman (@ethanz)

2. Roadmap:
- Understanding the “Arab Spring” through the lens of media
- Why it’s hard to understand the rest of the world
- How we might rewire a more globally aware media
- What you can do individually to experience a wider world

3. Clay Shirky Malcolm Gladwell Marc Lynch
Internet enables group Offline activism leverages Internet matters more
formation, empowers strong ties, online for long-term change
activists as never before activism, weak ties than short-term

4. photo by Reuters
annotated by BBC

5. interactive timeline
by The Guardian

6. full video not included
for space constraints -
please view at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0i9acHS_zQ

7. Tunisian protesters with a Mohamed Bouazizi banner (AFP)

8. Yasmine Ryan
1/26/2011

9. cc photo by ya/sin

10. Should I protest?
- How likely, and how severe, are negative consequences?
Will I get arrested? Will my family? Will I get shot?
- Will anyone join with me in the protest?
And am I safer if they do, or if they don’t?
- How likely is my protest to have an impact?
Is there any hope for real change?

11. cc photo by Panoramas

12. Implications of the broadcast mirror for Tunisia:
- How likely, and how severe, are negative consequences?
If the world is watching, I can be shot, but I won’t disappear
- Will anyone join with me in the protest?
Thousands have already, and more will
- How likely is my protest to have an impact?
This scale of protest is unprecedented - there’s already change

13. “Thank you, Facebook, Al Jazeera” - Tahrir Square, (Mona Sosh)

16. photo by Nevine Zaki

17. YouTube video posted by ibnomar2005
Libya: media blackout = weak signal

18. Youtube Video, posted by AfricaWeWish
Gabon: low attention = weak amplification
Bahrain - is the amplifier working?

19. Dictator’s dilemma:
If I allow protests to take place, the people might topple me.
If I crush them, the people will hate me even more.

20. Dictator’s dilemma:
If I allow protests to take place, the people might topple me.
If I crush them, the people will hate me even more.
Digital dilemma:
If I don’t block Facebook, the people might topple me.
If I block it, the people will hate me even more.

21. John Gilmore
“The net interprets censorship
as damage and routes around it.”
December 1993

22. Open Net Initiative, 2010
Political filtering

24. Clay Shirky Malcolm Gladwell Marc Lynch
Internet enables group Offline activism leverages Internet matters more
formation, empowers strong ties, online for long-term change
activists as never before activism, weak ties than short-term

30. Visualization of US news attention
Slate.com, April 2010
color represents audience ideology
non-US sites highlighted in yellow

31. curation search social

32. homophily
photo by Cobalt123

33. how to not miss the next revolution
(in three difficult steps)

34. translate
bridge
curate

35. yeeyan.org

36. Abramovich? Hello! Listen,
do you have a rynda on
your yacht? See, the thing
is... you have to return it.
image from ellustrator.livejournal.com

37. Vadim Isakov
Born in Uzbekistan
Studied journalism in US
Independent media in Central Asia
Now teaching in Ithaca, NY

41. rescuetime.com

42. MMMeeja.com

43. Nutritional Information:
New York Times
Ingredients: International coverage 42%
(includes 8% Iraq, 5% Afghanistan, minimum
weekly 5% China, and no less than 2%
Africa), Washington coverage 28% (includes
7% Obama, 6% Congress, and trace amounts
of Limbaugh), New York State/Albany
coverage 14%, New York City coverage 10%,
and less than 6% domestic US coverage.
Warning: contains less than 40% of sports
coverage of the leading competitor, the New
York Post, and 50% of business coverage of
the Wall Street Journal. May contain less than
your recommended daily allowance of Latin
America News.

44. Alfred Sirleaf, editor of
“The Daily Talk”, a
blackboard newspaper in
Monrovia, Liberia
photo by Erik Hersman
watch what you read
watch who your friends read
look for bridge figures
be a xenophile
help us rewire