logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2021
18m 14s

The ‘Facebook revolutions’ that weren’t

Al Jazeera
About this episode

Social media was how many of us consumed the 2011 Arab uprisings. Technology was putting power in the hands of the people. To use social media in 2021, especially in the Middle East, is to navigate a maze of internet laws, surveillance, censorship, fake news, and bots. With Facebook now looking for ways to make political content less visible, we’re asking: what changed?

In this episode:

Mohamad Najam (@monajem), executive director of SMEX, a digital rights organization in Beirut, Lebanon; Jillian C. York (@jilliancyork), director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Connect with The Take: 

Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod)

Up next
Today
How did Lula da Silva cut Amazon deforestation in half?
When Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office more than a year ago, he pledged to end deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. He’s on the right track: Last year, the forest shrank 50% less than in 2022. But the clock is ticking. Will Lula manage to keep his word? Th ... Show More
23m 12s
Aug 23
Another Take: Why hasn't Pakistan recovered from its catastrophic floods?
Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on February 22, 2023. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed. Pakistan is still reeling from 2022’s deadly floods, which put a third of the country underwater. Tho ... Show More
20m 45s
Aug 22
Why are Sudanese refugees returning home despite the civil war?
Nearly two and a half years into Sudan’s war, millions remain displaced. Yet some refugees are making the difficult choice to return home, despite the ongoing conflict. UNHCR’s Mamadou Dian Balde explains why Sudanese families are going back, the challenges awaiting them, and the ... Show More
23m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
Our memories, their data - the Facebook story 20 years on
It’s 20 years since Facebook was brought into the world by a group of Harvard University roommates. In the years since, millions of us have shared our photos, our memories, our lives…and our data.In the early days Facebook’s mantra was ‘move fast and break things’. By last week, ... Show More
27m 7s
Sep 2023
Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen On The ‘Chaos Era’ Of Social Media & The Future of Public Discourse
Determined to bring transparency and accountability to Big Tech, in 2021 Frances Haugen risked everything to blow the whistle on Facebook. She copied tens of thousands of pages of documents that revealed that the social media giant had accidentally changed its algorithm to reward ... Show More
2h 38m
Aug 2020
Jack Dorsey on Twitter's Mistakes
It’s been four years since the 2016 election laid bare the powerful role that social media companies have come to play in shaping political discourse and beliefs in America.Since then, there have been growing calls to address the spread of polarization and misinformation promoted ... Show More
39m 58s
Feb 2024
20 ans après, Facebook a-t-il vraiment changé nos vies?
 Les excuses du patron de Facebook, 20 ans après la création du réseau social. Devant le Sénat américain, Mark Zuckerberg, interpellé sur les dangers des réseaux sociaux pour les enfants et les ados, s'est excusé auprès des victimes des dérives de Facebook. Lors de l'audition, él ... Show More
17m 11s
Nov 2021
Pourquoi Facebook est accusé de diviser pour prospérer
Cet automne, plusieurs enquêtes éclaboussent Facebook dans la presse américaine et internationale. Elles mettent en cause la façon dont le réseau social modère les contenus postés et partagés par ses milliards d’utilisateurs. De nombreux documents révèlent notamment que les algor ... Show More
19m 7s
Sep 2021
Facebook AI, public policy and responsibility in the Middle East
A little more than a third of humans on the planet use Facebook each month, that’s 2.8 billion people in more than 160 countries and growing.   Outside its home country, Facebook is under the scrutiny of governments, who are grappling with how to handle the scope of tech companie ... Show More
22m 43s
Feb 2021
Arab Spring Leader Wael Ghonim on Modern Social Media's Promise And Peril
In 2011, Wael Ghonim created a Facebook page that sparked the overthrow of the Egyptian regime. Since then, the former Google marketing director has kept a close eye on social media's evolution, and has plenty to say about where it's gone wrong, and how it can get better. Ten yea ... Show More
1h 13m