What role has social media played in revolutionary movements sweeping through the Middle East? UMBC sociologist Zeynep Tufekci has addressed this question in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes and on public radio and television. In this video, made in collaboration with UMBC's student bloggers at USDemocrazy, Tufekci tackles this issue for the student audience, exploring how people in Egypt and Tunisia have used social media as tools for communication, mobilization and organization. She also addresses social media literacy and how students can move beyond TV to more effectively consume news today. The UN Dispatch described Tufekci's writing on Twitter and Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution as "the best, most balanced analysis of the role of social media in ousting Ben Ali." Learn more about her work at Technosociology.org.

Note: Zeynep Tufekci is now an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and fellow at Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society.