Freedom of speech at Twitter brings a change to Saudi Arabia by itself

Media is a powerful tool for revolutions in politics, but for a regime country like Saudi Arabia, Twitter is exceptional compared to other types of media. Unlike old days, local people criticize the royal family frankly, talk about government corruption and people's ignorance, and women write about the clerics who causes the oppression. The news can be spread to the outside world efficiently by hashtags. It is very surprising that 2.9 million of Saudis used their actual names, and consequently, the government lacks the ability to control them. Faisal Abdullah, a lawyer, claimed that Twitter helped to create a real parliament that politicians can discuss without limitations. However, it is difficult to say if this freedom of speech can result in reforms in country's political system. Nevertheless, it uncovers that the fact that of how angry they are at the royal family, and leads people inside the country to realize that the revolution is necessary for their survival. Moreover, the expressions of people on Twitter also let the authorities know how the oppressed think about them. From the end of last year, a Twitter user named Mujtahidd, meaning "studious," wrote about scandals of the royal family, but the root of this identity is not found yet. Even a prisoner has 85,000 followers as he posted feeds from a mobile that is sometimes brought into his cell.

Posted by Aye-Myat-Myat Thinn

Source: Twitter Gives Saudi Arabia a Revolution of Its Own