For many young writers, activists, and journalists, the internet has revolutionized communication strategies, especially in countries where most media outlets are state-owned. Middle Eastern people in particular have never had the opportunity to voice their opinions freely, which is precisely why blogging is so attractive.

Its main purpose is interaction. For the very first time, we have a media outlet that we can rely on and lead. It is an exceptional source for alternative news and information. This is why bloggers are also commonly referred to as “citizen journalists,” who not only comment on existing media reports but also play a very big role in creating them.
The ultimate question remains, why blog? Some would (and frequently do) say that blogging is narcissistic, and a waste of time. Some have even gone as far as to say that blogging has “killed” real journalism. But in this new age of information technology, not only are blogs used to inform, but to help us network with other like-minded individuals from across the globe.

In the Arab world, political activism through blogging is becoming more common, and is actually influencing a lot of the mainstream media outlets, pressuring them to cover human rights violations and previously unreported types of crimes. As the director of the Free Kareem Coalition, I learned valuable lessons about cyber campaigning through blogging and its massive influence on global news agencies. It made me realize that we average citizens have more power than what we are given credit for.

As powerful, useful, and effective as cyber campaigning is, this is hardly the only thing the Arab blogopshere is being used for. The possibilities are endless. Blogging can be used for cross-cultural understanding and dialogue, and there are more and more pan-Arab group blogs emerging.

Personally, I share a group blog with other young writers from Mauritania, Tunisia, and Morocco; something which helps me understand their cultures better. Had it not been for blogging, I would be embarrassingly ignorant about them and their societies, even though these are fellow Arabs I am talking about. Where I live, in the Gulf, we do not have a lot of other ways to connect and have constructive discourse with Arabs from North Africa. Blogging has finally helped us break that barrier. It has also allowed us to join forces and fight human rights abuses together, which strengthens our campaigns and helps them gain more worldwide attention.

Blogging has also made us aware of local communities and issues that we previously were ignorant of. For example, if I want to know more about Kurdish communities in the Arab world, I can find and read Kurdish blogs for their perspectives on such topics as minority rights. Before the advent of blogging, I had no idea how many Jewish, Baha’i, and Christian communities we had. I had no idea how many migrant rights abuses we had. I had no idea how big the threat of forced prostitution (or as we call it in the blogosphere, “sexual terrorism”) was in our countries. But we are gaining awareness, and we are leading powerful campaigns because of it. We owe most of this information to fellow bloggers within the Arab world who keep us aware and empowered.

Thanks to the internet, I am able to connect with other Arab youth from different Arab countries, which introduces me to their cultures, values, and societal issues. Moreover, through networking with a diverse group of fellow Arab bloggers, we are helping each other gain and maintain our freedoms by fighting for basic human rights. It’s a valuable experience. And we’re going to protect this space, our space, against any form of censorship, because we earned and deserve this source of power.

Tags: esra'a al shafei, human rights, media, technology