Social Media and the Arab Spring

The World
The World

On December 17, 2010, a young unemployed man set himself on fire in Tunisia.

Mohammed Bouazizi took that desperate step in protest, after officials had blocked his attempts to make a living selling fruit on the street.

His self-immolation sparked a wave of anti-government protests, first in Tunisia, then all across the Middle East.

And technology and social media have played key roles in many of the pro-democracy movements of the Arab Spring.

Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Zeynep Tufekci, a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

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