Empire

Social networks, social revolution

Youtube, Facebook and Twitter have become the new weapons of mass mobilisation.

Information is power, but 21st century technology has unleashed an information revolution, and now the genie is out of the bottle.

In Depth
 ‘Information Wars’ on Al Jazeera
 Al Jazeera’s Empire at Columbia
 Filming Empire at Columbia’s Journalism school
 

Video: The Network Revolution
Produced by Ahmed Shihab-Eldin & Ben Connors
 

Youtube, Facebook and Twitter have become the new weapons of mass mobilisation; geeks have taken on dictators; bloggers are dissidents; and social networks have become rallying forces for social justice.

As people around the world challenge authorities, from Iran to Tunisia, Egypt to Yemen, entire societies are being transformed as ordinary citizens see the difference, imagine the alternative, and come together to organise for a better future.

So, are social networks triggering social revolution? And where will the next domino fall?

Empire finds out.

Joining Marwan Bishara to discuss these issues are: Carl Bernstein, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist; Amy Goodman, the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!; Professor Emily Bell, the director of digital journalism at Columbia University; Evgeny Morozov, the author of The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom; Professor Clay Shirky, the author of Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age.

This episode of Empire can be seen from Thursday, February 17, at the following times GMT: Thursday: 0630, 2030; Friday: 1230; Saturday: 0130; Sunday: 0630, 2030.