MESOP THE “SOCIAL MEDIA” BELONGS TO ISIS ‘Social Medial in the Era of ISIS’ (Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, PS21)
“The once liberal and secular activist-dominated social media landscape has made way for conservative clerics or extremist groups. The once popular Twitter account of Egyptian pro-democracy activist Wael Ghonim (1.4 million followers) has fallen silent and has chosen to stay away “as Egypt no longer welcomes those who are me” while the account of conservative Saudi Arabian cleric Mohamed Al Arefe flourishes with over 10 million followers. Popular Saudi clerics such as Salman Al Odah and Ayedh Al Qarnee have reached astronomical figures and outreach that liberal activists and even governments can only dream of. On the other hand, secular activists with a strong social media presence such as Alaa Abdel Fattah, Ahmed Maher and Ahmed Douma who have chosen to stay in Egypt have been locked up in jail.” http://projects21.com/2015/02/25/social-media-in-the-era-of-isis/