Social Media + the Dynamics of Dissent

A Roundtable Discussion

Thursday, April 2 | 6-8pm | Glickman Conference Center (CLA 1.302B)

What does revolution look like in the modern world? Can you bring down a government from behind a screen?

Social media has played an integral role in the major global conflicts and revolutions of the last decade. Never before has it been so easy for the world to watch these events as they unfold live and follow along with dissenters who risk theirs lives in these conflicts. Never before have speech and opinions been so public and accessible, while also so censored.

In this roundtable discussion, experts on the use of social media in varying world conflicts will discuss the role social media has played in these events – including the Arab Spring, the current conflict in Ukraine, the protests of Brazil, and the increasing censorship of Russia – and how social media has been used as a tool, both positively and negatively, of dissent in these conflicts.

Panelists will include:

Dr. Tom Garza, Associate Professor in UT’s Department of Slavic + Eurasian Studies

Alexey Gavrilov, Founder of Zello

Bahaa Ghobrial, Ph.D. Candidate in UT's Department of Radio, Television + Film

Dr. Joshua Tucker, Professor at New York University

Jackie Zammuto, Digital Engagement Coordinator at WITNESS