Egypt’s Facebook, Internet users skyrocketing

According to companies in Egypt, Internet and Facebook use has dramatically increased since the January 25 revolution toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. The statistics come as no surprise to those following events in Egypt, as the social networking site was used to help gather demonstrators to the streets during the 18 days of protests.

Over the two months since the February 11 departure of Mubarak from power, statistics from e-marketing companies reveal that over one million new users have opened accounts on Facebook.

Egypt has the most users on Facebook in the Middle East. According to the state-run MENA news agency, before the revolution 4.2 million Egyptians visited Facebook. Since then, that number has jumped to well over five million and expectations are that it will continue to grow.

Ironically, on January 26, the Egyptian government at the time blocked Facebook and other social networking sites in an effort to curtail what would quickly become massive demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of people calling for the end of the government.

The government then blocked the use of the Internet altogether, costing the country billions of dollars in revenue losses.

By Desmond Shephard