Social Media and Political Protest: Observations From Tahrir Square

The research aimed to explore how social media influenced the planning, involvement, and documentation of protests during the events in Egypt’s Tahrir Square.

A survey of participants in the protests was conducted between February 24 and February 28, 2011, shortly after President Mubarak's resignation.
A total of 1,050 valid surveys were collected through snowball sampling in public areas like cafes and parks near Tahrir Square.
The survey focused on participant demographics and their media usage, particularly regarding social media and traditional media.

The mean age of participants was 28.5 years, with a significant gender imbalance (75.4% male, 24.6% female).
Many participants (60.3%) held college degrees, and a notable proportion (80%) had Internet access at home.
Nearly half (48.4%) first heard of the protests through face-to-face communication, while significant portions used Facebook and phones as their initial sources of information.
First-day attendance was positively correlated with social media usage, although satellite TV users had lower odds of attending.
A significant number of participants (48.2%) engaged in citizen journalism, sharing images and videos, particularly via Facebook, which played a central role in both documentation and mobilization.