February 18, 2011 - 15:30 AMT
Role of social media in Egypt and Tunisia riots exaggerated

The role of social media in Egypt and Tunisia riots is exaggerated, according to information security expert Samvel Martirosyan and political expert Hrach Galstyan.

As Galstyan noted at a news conference, the information circulated through Facebook network was cited from Al Jazeera Qatar TV channel and 2 western journalists’ reports.

“Twitter microblog was more active in spreading information, although here again, the website was not the original source. In the end, Al Jazeera channel succeeded in using Twitter as a tool to raise its ranking through direct links posted on the website,” Martirosyan said, for his part.

“The term ‘Facebook Revolution’ is a mere myth. To Muslim world, Friday prayer, gathering hundreds of people to be controlled and directed, is a more powerful tool,” the expert concluded.