Welcome to the InfoSci Platform
Reference Hub2
The Role of Web 2.0 in the Arab Spring

The Role of Web 2.0 in the Arab Spring

Robert A. Cropf, Mamoun Benmamoun, Morris Kalliny
Copyright: © 2013 |Pages: 33
ISBN13: 9781466625150|ISBN10: 1466625155|EISBN13: 9781466625167
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2515-0.ch004
Cite Chapter Cite Chapter

MLA

Cropf, Robert A., et al. "The Role of Web 2.0 in the Arab Spring." Cases on Web 2.0 in Developing Countries: Studies on Implementation, Application, and Use, edited by Nahed Amin Azab, IGI Global, 2013, pp. 76-108. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-2515-0.ch004

APA

Cropf, R. A., Benmamoun, M., & Kalliny, M. (2013). The Role of Web 2.0 in the Arab Spring. In N. Azab (Ed.), Cases on Web 2.0 in Developing Countries: Studies on Implementation, Application, and Use (pp. 76-108). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-2515-0.ch004

Chicago

Cropf, Robert A., Mamoun Benmamoun, and Morris Kalliny. "The Role of Web 2.0 in the Arab Spring." In Cases on Web 2.0 in Developing Countries: Studies on Implementation, Application, and Use, edited by Nahed Amin Azab, 76-108. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2013. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-2515-0.ch004

Export Reference

Mendeley
Favorite

Abstract

The Arab Spring seemed to give a renewed sense of promise to proponents of Web 2.0 as a force for democratization. However, a year on, throughout the Arab world the prospects for democracy are still far from certain. Our conclusion, based on an examination of the events in four countries—Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, and Libya—is that Web 2.0 collaborative tools are without parallel in their ability to mobilize vast numbers of the public. Unknown, however, is whether Web 2.0 can also assist in institutionalizing democracy throughout the Arab world. In this study, the authors adapt the path dependency model of Douglass North and others to explain why, despite the huge popularity of Web 2.0 in the region, the growth of Arab e-democracy will be slow and uncertain. Path dependency suggests that in order for e-democracy to eventually take root and thrive in the region, certain preconditions must be met.

Request Access

You do not own this content. Please login to recommend this title to your institution's librarian or purchase it from the IGI Global bookstore.