Libyan activists catch Twitter bug

Libyan activists, who have stepped up and onto the streets in calling for an end to four decades of rule by Muammar Gaddafi have called on fellow activists worldwide to keep the revolution alive through social networks, mainly Twitter. The call comes after Tunisia and Egypt both saw success in galvanizing the international press coverage of their protests by disseminating information via Twitter.

Already, reports are being filed that are giving credence to the rise in antagonism against Gaddafi through the use of social media such as Facebook, Youtube.com and Twitter.

“Now the region’s most oppressed, hermetically sealed nation has caught the fever of Internet-driven dissent, as young Libyans are embracing the power of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and online Arabic rap to voice unprecedented opposition to the regime,” wrote France24.

Already, information – what little is accessible from the country – has been pouring in on Twitter and Youtube, where activists are uploading news the minute they are able to get online. Getting online might prove even more difficult in the coming days, as rumors continue to circulate on social networks that the Gaddafi government is looking to shut down all Internet service in the country in an attempt to curtail the anger directed at his government.

By Jonathan Terry