Unlike Hossam, I am slightly skeptical about Web 2.0 social software technology. It’s true activists in Egypt and elsewhere have made good use of Twitter and Jaiku to update each other about demonstrations and such, but I can’t quite shake off the feeling that over time using these things too much reduces your brain to mush. I’ve already given up on Facebook, never found Doppler very useful, haven’t used LinkedIn in months, and only keep up to date with Jaiku because Hossam forced it upon me, although I don’t really post myself (in any case it would be along the lines of “having sardine and toasted cheese sandwich LOL!” I’d rather spare people.)
But yesterday someone registered a State Security account on Twitter, and this morning I received this:
Hi, arabist (arabist).
Habib El-Adly (ElAdly) is now following your updates on Twitter.
Check out Habib El-Adly’s profile here:
http://twitter.com/ElAdly
Habib al-Adly, of course, is Egypt’s interior minister.
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Teehee. Not very good about covering their tracks, are they.
Sardine and toasted cheese, really? Sardine and harissa with gargeer is better.
ROFL personally IO got paranoid, but really this is not a reason for not optimizing the use of web2.0
Web2.0 should be used by the masses, not just by a bunch of activists. When Web2.0 becomes a general trend, as well as the Internet (The Internet is not really used to a nice "level"), it really reaches its power. The more you are engaged, the more you are powerful.
That "mush" thing you are referring to isn't of high importance, you know, they said the same about it on Printed Papers in the 1600s, TV, cars, etc…
This is new technology, new technology has its side effects like everything in life, as well as old technology. The human role here is optimizing good effects and minimizing bad effects, NOT not using it. You use the chance, you CAN fail, you don't use the chance, you WILL fail.
re: habib al adly – this must be a prank! maybe that's your nom-de-twitter, issandr?