Social media alters dissent under autocracies by changing how people connect and share information. It allows for many-to-many networks that complicate governments' efforts to isolate and suppress protests. While in the past governments could isolate small protests, social media enables mass coordination and rapid sharing that helps spread protests more widely. This is seen in the 2010-2011 Tunisian protests, where social media use grew alongside real-world demonstrations until the government fell. Social media creates new publics and ties that bridge social circles, undermining claims that weak ties don't aid protest success.