In authoritarian countries in which the traditional media are state-controlled, the Internet offers a unique space for discussion and information-sharing, and has become an ever more important engine for protest and Internet is the crucible in which repressed civil societies can revive and develop. The new media, and particularly social networks, have given populations’ collaborative tools with which they can change the social people have taken them by storm. Facebook has become the rallying point for activists prevented from demonstrating in the streets. One simple video on YouTube – Neda in Iran or the Saffron march of the monks in Burma – can help.
