Linda Herrera - Revolution in the Age of Social Media: The Egyptian Popular Insurrection and the Internet

T his book began as a fast book that turned into in a three-year odyssey. I first want to thank Ahmed Gaballah, a former student and research assistant from the American University in Cairo. He moved to California to work for Google where he helped develop the companys presence in the Middle East. He is now Senior Product Manager for Strategic Growth Markets at Adobe Systems. He introduced me to the inner workings of the Arabic web and walked me through techniques of online marketing. Together we read and reviewed the full 1,400-page printout of the We Are All Khaled Said Arabic Facebook page and worked together on , Marketing Martyrdom. I am truly grateful for his energy in getting this project off the ground and for his sense of adventure.

I met Mark Lotfy, a filmmaker and virtual creator, during a visit to Egypt in the early phases of researching this book. We shared a common interest in understanding the power struggles taking place in virtual spaces. Marks knowledge of the online culture wars, media theory, video games, and Egyptian popular culture is as astute and deep as anyones. We coauthored an article for Jadaliyya called E-Militias of the Muslim Brotherhood, and continued our collaboration by jointly writing . He has read and commented on many parts of this book.

I have spent countless hours online and in Egypt with activists, students, artists, and friends old and new, all of whom are always incredibly generous with their time and insights. I extend a special thanks to AbdelRahman, Kholoud, Haitham, Aly, Dalia, Nur, Hossam, Nourhan, Sherif, Ahmed, and the many Facebook friends who always keep me abreast of ever-changing developments in Egypt.

Some of the ideas for this book took early form as Jadaliyya articles. I extend a big thanks to the tireless coeditors at Jadaliyya, Adel Iskandar, Toni Alessandri, Hesham Sallam, and Ziad Abu-Rish, for their feedback and comments on various articles. Thanks also to Peter Mandaville, who offered valuable comments on an earlier version of .

I began my position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign just nine days before the start of the January 25 Revolution. I have since shuttled between Illinois and Egypt on a regular basis. I am grateful for the tremendous support I have received from the university. Special thanks goes to colleagues at the College of Education at Illinois and specifically at the colleges Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, as well as to the Center for South Asia and Middle East Studies, and to my talented and eminently reliable teaching assistants, Fauzia Rahman, Garett Gietzen, Kevin Gitonga, and Ghassan Ibrahim, who have helped to keep me and my courses on track. Shiva, Tara, and Asef know how much I cherish their presence in my life.