Technology and the Protests in Egypt

             1989 and technology were vastly different from the technologies of today. Do you remember when personal computers were so cool WITHOUT the World Wide Web (WWW)? Text messaging was exciting and done with computers. Games could be played with multiple players linked into the same system. That is what was happening for the general public in 1989. The Internet was not yet widely available and word processing programs were just becoming the norm for personal computer programs.  Car phones were the norm for those who could afford them. Portable cell phones were just being born. There were no cell phones with cameras; no digital cameras available for daily use although they were available for print media employees.
            As I follow the news coverage of the Egyptian protests, I am constantly amazed at the impact that new technologies are having on the world.  It is clear that with access to the Internet and social media sites, Egyptian civilians have been able to organize mass demonstrations way beyond what has ever happened before in history.  Technology has changed the political world forever! I first noticed the strength of the Internet to mobilize people during the 2002 Presidential campaign, but to my mind this demonstration of the power of technology is much greater as it is crossing political, cultural and language divides.
         This is a civil uprising that is unprecedented in world history, not just in Egypt. It is technology that is linking civilians from different countries. There have been protests in Jordan, Yemen, Tunisia, Syria, Sudan, Algeria, and Zimbabwe. People around the entire region are being encouraged by others in different countries completely due to the access to information the Internet has made available.
What does this all mean for me? It means that I must be aware of technology and its impact on the world. I must be willing to engage in learning new technologies or I will lose opportunities to communicate with widespread audiences-particularly those 35 and younger. It means that God has provided a great format for spreading the Good News. It means I must be willing to change how I view the world and the people in it. We are so much closer to each other now than in any time in history. I can talk with people in almost any country of the world on a daily basis and it doesn’t even cost very much. It means I must remain alert to how God wants His people to respond to this current day and age. I believe I am witnessing the greatest changes in world history during my very lifetime!


References

• http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?category=netnging of the guard as prophesied. Accessed 2/5/2010.
• http://www.tech-faq.com/history-of-cell-phones.html  Accessed 2/5/2010
• http://www.thehistoryof.net/the-history-of-digital-cameras.html  Accessed 2/5/2010
• http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/02/anti-government-protests-around-africa
• Accessed 2/5/2010