In 2004, the movement “Kifaya” — “enough” in Arabic — appeared and held a series of demonstrations from 2004-07. Many members in the Kifaya movement also were the authors of popular blogs. The most important development during this time period is the degree of coalescence between diverging opposition groups.

Throughout the 80s and 90s these factions, which included Islamists, secularists, radical socialists and pro-democracy groups, remained isolated. There rarely was any communication or solidarity between factions.

The Egyptian government was perfectly content allowing this state of affairs and effectively pushed the binary mold of radical Islamists against pro-democratic secularists.

However, with the advent of the Internet and the growing awareness of government abuse the factions began connecting under the shared sentiment, “enough is enough.”

On April 6, 2008, activists used Facebook’s event pages — much in the same way we tend to organize spontaneous raves and snowball fights — to arrange a protest nearly 100,000 strong.

The April 6 Youth Movement, as it is known, protested in solidarity with striking workers in a textile factory in the city Mahalla, north of Cairo.

The strikers simply were demanding higher wages because it had become impossible to provide for their families.

Do not believe binarisms discussed in the mainstream press about the need for stability over chaos and anarchy. The revolution was organized, as we could see from images of Tahrir Square, where tents representing different parties set up shop, and from the communities that organized neighborhood watches.

Many of us have been glued to our seats for three weeks. My study abroad program in Egypt this summer has been suspended temporarily, Al-Jazeera has entered our national media and questions of American values and foreign policy strategies have been raised. This is because there no longer is a monopoly of information.

Through the Internet individuals outside of the halls of power now can engage in debates and share information from anywhere in the world. How many of students are on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit or even 4chan? These websites are for more than finding awkwardly hilarious memes.

The potential of these e-communities lies in their democratic makeup; every user can be equal, have his or her opinion heard and connect with others with similar goals.

Whether it’s ObamaCare repeal, support for a new candidate, the legalization of certain pastimes or revolution. The Internet is a democratic tool par excellence.

What is more, the events in Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Bahrain, Algeria, Yemen, Jordan, last year in Kyrgyzstan and 2005 in Bolivia, are not isolated events. The people are suffering from economic oppression based on the same policies that emanate from the University of Chicago and the unholy specter of Milton Friedman.

For a “democratic” people, we have lagged behind the rest of the world in finding its potential. Why? Are we consumed with a voyeuristic need for spectacle and entertainment? Are we stupid and uneducated? As the masses of the global hegemony, are we simply not destined to lead this fight or have we given up?

Whatever the case, we must realize the universal nature of these uprisings. We, as a species, must understand that different races, nationalities and religions are not working against each other.

These are lies fed to us by governments who are fearful of their own people. They are meant to keep us angry and keep our focus off their corruption.

Our job as citizens in a democratic society is to be our own watchdogs and maintain governmental accountability with constant vigilance. We have the tools.

Throw the TV out the window. The revolution will no longer be televised, it’s going viral.

Joey Podrasky is a State News guest columnist and an anthropology and Arabic senior. Reach him at podrask2@msu.edu.