ABSTRACT
Social media are transforming how people transmit and share information, while at the same time providing the tools for building innovative structures and organizing and mobilizing different actors. These sweeping shifts have intensified the discussion of the actual role of social media in contemporary conflict-ridden societies, particularly after the protests in Iran (2009), Tunisia (2010) and Egypt (2011), as well as the subsequent Arab Spring movements. Changing dynamics between political actors, journalists and citizens, mainly through social networking platforms, have stimulated several claims for the transformation of these actors’ relations as well as for the facilitation of new forms of political participation. While the actual impact of social media on the transformation of politics remains debatable, the unquestionable massive popularity of social networks in modern societies and the profound changes in information flows via online social media are challenging the timelines of mediated political participation in the globalized contemporary world.
