The Geopolitics of Social Media in Eurasia
Social media and its effect on the global political scene has been the subject of much discussion since the widespread uprisings that are continuing to play out in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The interest in the political potential of social media has led everyone from the media to academics to ask whether the transformations that are underway in the MENA region will spread to the former Soviet Union? While there are many similarities between the two regions, from long-serving authoritarian leaders to poor economic conditions, there are also numerous differences that will serve to limit the effect of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter as driving forces for political change in the region. Indeed, the use and effectiveness of social media even in the Arab Spring countries is often misunderstood and overestimated. This is especially true in the former Soviet Union, where internet usage levels – and particularly social media users – are relatively low when compared to their Western counterparts. This is not to say, however, that the former Soviet Union has not or will not continue to see transformative changes – several states in the region are no strangers to revolution and/or widespread political upheaval. But these outcomes are brought about by much more deeply rooted geopolitical forces: political divisions, a geography that hampers high levels of economic development, for instance. Social media is one tool that has contributed to the evolution of national political systems, but it is not the cause of revolutionary change in and of itself.
Latest news
- 03/17/2020 Call for Submission: “Non-Alignment Movement and Its Perspective in International Affairs”. Deadline: 1 July 2020 2237 views
Popular articles
- 02/24/2020 The Role of Irredentism in Russia’s Foreign Policy 2216 views
- 02/24/2020 Construction of sub-national identity vis-à-vis parent state: Gagauz case in Moldova 1913 views
- 02/24/2020 The Conflict in Ukraine - The Geopolitics of Separatism and Divergent Identities (Commentary) 1801 views
- 02/24/2020 The Role of the Soviet Past in Contemporary Georgia 1798 views