Social media provides powerful tools that not only shake conventional understandings but also reimagine a new and complex landscape of global interconnectedness. In just the past two decades the world has witnessed an unprecedented level of connection and exchange of ideas. Social media has been used to give voice to the peripheries of societies, inspire popular protests worldwide, and shape diplomatic relations. Yet it also supplies methods for repression and misinformation. As citizens around the world increasingly use digital platforms to mobilize, social media has become a battleground where longstanding and emerging conflicts over identity play out.
This global digital transformation was illustrated early on when protestors filled Cairo’s Tahrir Square in January 2011 to call for the removal of the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. After years of dictatorial rule, limited economic opportunity, and governmental corruption, Tahrir square - officially renamed after the 1952 revolution that replaced a British-influenced constitutional monarchy with a republic - once again became the center of competing visions for Egypt’s future. As labor unions, islamists, leftist parties, youth activists, and the military all clashed together, Tahrir Square emerged as a powerful symbol of a contested national identity.
The 2011 Egyptian Revolution was a part of the Arab Spring - a series of democratic and popular movements across the Middle East and North Africa between 2011 - 2012. Importantly, it was one of the first movements that used social media to organize mass protests. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter extended the Arab Spring beyond national borders by connecting Arabs to common struggles. Egypt thus became an early example of how digital tools could reshape political participation and redefine how people understood themselves in relation to the state. Today, an ancient obelisk from the time of Ramses II occupies Tahrir square - a politically safe attempt to connect Egyptians with a common ancient past while sweeping aside the tumultuous memories from a decade earlier. Indeed, contrasting perceptions of nationality are nothing new, and social media has only recently become an important part of the legacy of ongoing identity struggles.
Today, social media in the hands of protestors has evolved into both a megaphone and a mirror - amplifying grievances while reflecting new perceptions. In a recent episode of the Global in the Granite State podcast titled “Protesting with Rizz - the Gen-Z Protests”, Dr. Janjira Sombatpoonsiri, a research fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, discusses social media’s role in current popular movements across the globe. She notes that many recent demonstrations are driven less by overt democratic demands and more by deepening economic frustrations - especially those felt by youth facing limited opportunities and widening wealth inequality.
Citizens are now using these digital tools to redefine what it means to partake in civil society. The podcast emphasizes that social media has created increasingly decentralized movements. While this can broaden participation, it also creates challenges. Individuals often hesitate to assume personal accountability for organizing, and online engagement can devolve into “slacktivism”—symbolic support, such as liking or reposting, that rarely translates into long term change. At the same time, governments have become adept at using these same digital tools to suppress dissent. They spread disinformation, monitor dissidents, and deploy cyberattacks, highlighting the importance of responsible usage. Indeed, social media creates a complex landscape for government-citizen relations, with younger generations using new forms of participation to gain recognition.
Building on these shifts in digital participation, social media has also shaken conventional conceptions of identity as traditionally marginalized voices are expanded. For example, in Iran apps such as Clubhouse and Instagram are becoming especially influential among young people who use them to push back against the state’s attempts to impose a singular social identity. Importantly, these platforms also connect Iranian citizens with those in the diaspora - a population that challenges the state's attempts to unify the Iranian identity and that has been antagonized by the government for years. Together, these digital spaces reveal a society negotiating multiple, competing identities despite efforts to suppress them.
Iran additionally offers a striking example of the very protest dynamics Dr. Sombatpoonsiri described. The death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 who was beaten by Iran’s morality police for not wearing a hijab - a charge Iran’s government denies - revealed long standing cultural conflicts in Iran, ultimately igniting widespread protests across the country. This movement especially used social media to document violence, making it difficult for the regime to spread disinformation. In fact, the large-scale role of social media in mobilizing these protests was reflected by the government’s subsequent restriction of internet access. However, online spaces quickly displayed the broader conflict, as anti-government protesters faced counter-campaigns branding them ‘Israel’s soldiers.’ This clash between a state-endorsed religious identity and more progressive visions of Iranian society reshaped not only citizens’ relations with the state but also reimagined Iran’s place in the world. Today, Amini’s tombstone reads, “Beloved Mahsa, you will not die. Your name will become a symbol.” Just as Tahrir Square resembles social media’s recent role in shaping enduring conflicts in Egypt, the digital landscape has cemented Amini’s legacy in Iran’s ongoing struggle for identity. Overall, the plurality of Iranian society has become evident through social media, giving rise to new identities as well as those that have been silenced for decades.
As societies continue to navigate this complex digital environment, strengthening accountability and fostering responsible online engagement remain essential. Ultimately, social media can amplify collective action, but it cannot replace genuine participation in civic life. The most enduring change emerges not only from the online sphere but also from the real public spaces where people gather, protest, and imagine new futures together.
- By Luke Wolfe, WACNH Intern
