CAIRO: On Tuesday, ahead of calls for a “million man march” in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, one could have easily been misled as to the seriousness of the security situation facing those “risking” to head to the square to join in the protests to call for quicker reforms, an end to military trials for civilians and the speedy public trials of former President Hosni Mubarak and his cronies for attacking protesters during the January 25 uprising. The reason: activists on Twitter were relating an almost doomsday scenario that would have seen the armed forces use force to remove them from the square in the same manner as the previous regime. The reality couldn't have been as far from the worries many activists portrayed on Twitter, the supposed social networking platform that was instrumental in bringing down the dictator on February 11. Upon arrival in Tahrir in the early evening, there were no military, no “thugs” and no disruption of the celebrations and eventual concert planned for later that night. Violence was not to be had. It is easy to forgive those participating in the ongoing sit-in in Tahrir for their worries. They have seen similar scenarios play out in a not-so-joyous manner. Think police opening fire against protesters; ransacking and beating up demonstrators. This is the reality that many of those continuing, in their words, “the revolution,” have experienced. However, the reporting ahead of the protest and the numerous statements being issued by foreign embassies in Cairo, obviously were not doing their homework, despite alleged “thugs” breaking in earlier in the down and attacking a handful of demonstrators. The Twitter phenomenon in Egypt is an important one, being emulated elsewhere in the world to not as wide success, however, when journalists and observers receive the vast majority of their information on what is happening “on the ground” in Egypt via the microblogging site, it delivers to readers a skewed sense of what is happening in Egypt. While Egyptians are growing in numbers online, the reality is that the true face of Egyptian society remains offline. While the activists, and their demands, in Tahrir are a vital aspect to the present political situation in Egypt, it is by no means the majority, nor do the protesters appear to speak for their fellow citizens. Anger is on the rise towards the protesters, who are often viewed as wealthy out-of-touch individuals who believe “they know best.” On Wednesday night, Goma'a, our local electrician arrived to fix our air-conditioner. Of course, he wanted to talk of the revolutionaries in downtown Cairo. He was not pleased. By no means poor, Goma'a was adamant that those in Tahrir were “agents of America, the CIA” and “had no idea what we are going through on a daily basis.” He has no Twitter account and thus, his voice is not being heard by the press who report daily on every step or misstep of those in tents downtown. Others like Goma'a are getting little air-time to voice their frustrations. Earlier this week, I happened upon four unemployed factory workers who were noticeably angry over the actions taken by those downtown. They felt as if they were on the outside looking in at the revolution they honestly believe, or believed, would have delivered a better way of life for the impoverished in this country. It hasn't happened yet. The protesters in central Cairo believe they are doing what is best for the country. Maybe they are. Ending military trials against civilians, transparency and a transition to civilian rule are vital to the long-term success of the country. Still, when there are millions in a country angry at how the sit-in is developing, reporting via Twitter does little to paint the reality of what Egypt is going through. Twitter may be important, but when the vast majority of the people in this country are living offline, on a fraction of the money the protesters have, dialogue and discussion is needed. Maintaining that Twitter is a source for reporting and telling the story of Egypt will not give justice to the multi-faceted, myriad Egypt that exists. If the revolution is to continue, it will not be on Twitter, instead it will be in the cafes and alleys of those who have long been disenfranchised by the former regime and are again beginning to feel disenfranchised by those who believe in their mission to bring lasting change to Egypt. BM
