Democracy's Fourth Wave?: Digital Media and the Arab Spring

Did digital media really cause the Arab Spring, or is it an important factor of the story behind what might become democracy's fourth wave? An unlikely network of citizens used digital media to start a cascade of social protest that ultimately toppled four of the world's most entrenched
dictators. Howard and Hussain find that the complex causal recipe includes several economic, political and cultural factors, but that digital media is consistently one of the most important sufficient and necessary conditions for explaining both the fragility of regimes and the success of social
movements. This book looks at not only the unexpected evolution of events during the Arab Spring, but the deeper history of creative digital activism throughout the region.


Author: Philip N. Howard, Muzammil M. Hussain
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 03/29/2013
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.48lbs
Size: 9.28h x 6.07w x 0.44d
ISBN: 9780199936977

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2013

About the Author

Philip N. Howard is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, with adjunct appointments at the Jackson School of International Studies and the Information School.

Muzammil M. Hussain is Assistant Professor of Global Media Studies at the University of Michigan.

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