Civilization 2.0

It’s been about fifteen years since the Internet really started infiltrating human society and look how far we’ve come. Today will live on in the memories of many around the world forever: some two million Egyptians crowded into Tahrir Square to voice their strong opposition to a dictatorial regime. This inevitable day comes after a dark 30 year era of brutal repression and a people silenced by fear. What took away the hesitation of the Egyptian people to speak out against their deplorable conditions? I would argue that a conglomeration of technologies has provoked and augmented the spread of revolution. Wikileaks allows whistleblowers to safely disseminate previously opaque information. Twitter and Facebook provide means for small groups to snowball into big movements, and spread their message widely. Tor and other security protocols enable protesters to remain anonymous and evade state security forces. Satellite TV networks allow the world to empathize with the people and supportively react to events on the ground. The regime went as far as shutting down the Internet and cellphone services altogether, but people got help from Anonymous to keep the information flowing in and out of the country, so that journalists and concerned citizens could keep track of the latest happenings. Because we are inspired by our common experiences and empowered by open technologies, today is a proud day in the history of Egypt, and of the world.