New LISD Issue Report Focuses on Social Media

In the latest LISD issue report, "Social Media Revolutions: All Hype or New Reality," leading experts examinethe impact of digital tools, social networking and the Internet in the coordination of democratic movement against authoritarian states, with specific focus on the Middle East and North Africa. The papers included in the report were originally presented at a workshop and panel discussion hosted by LISD in conjunction with the Woodrow Wilson School and the Center for Information Tecnology Policy during the spring of 2011.

About the Contributors:

David Faris is currently teaching and researching at Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago. He earned his PhD in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 2010. His dissertation focused on the use of digital media by Egyptian opposition movements. In his dissertation he argued that the networking capabilities of social media are converging to produce the potential for democratic transition during moments of crisis. Current research projects include contributing to a global digital activism dataset (GDADS) through the Meta-Activism Project, as well as article projects on authoritarian media systems, Islamist digital activism in Egypt, and Muslim experiences in American airspace.

Ahmed Ghanim, born and raised in Egypt, is an Egyptian American writer and poet that immigrated to the US after graduating from medical school in Cairo. Ghanim currently has his first (early) collection of poems under print, Dawi Al Samt (The Echo of Silence). His passion for creative writing and journalism inspired him to promote freedom and civil rights across nations, using his voice to inspire younger generations in hopes of bring change to the Middle East. He does this by writing and offering his works through the most popular online news and media outlets in the Middle East, Masrawy.com and Maktoob.com. His experiences in journalism in English and Arabic include interviews with prominent political leaders and advisors, articles on civil rights, poems, and news reports. In February 2011, he conducted an exclusive interview with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on social media.

Barry Libert is a technology investor, corporate director and strategic advisor to boards and their leaders seeking growth and innovation by becoming social enterprises. Libert has spent the last decade founding and investing in social software and open innovation companies including Mzinga, Innocentive, The Pulse Network, and Activate Networks that together manage more than 15,000 social (customer and employee) networks with more than 40 million users for 350 enterprises. He has also advised organizations, such as Microsoft, GE healthcare, SunLife, and ESPN, on how to use social, mobile and cloud technologies to engage their customers and employees. Libert sits on a number of not-for-profit boards including the SEI Center at Wharton and US Against Alzheimer's Network. Libert is the (co) author of 5 books and 14 ebooks on the value of social media, open innovation and transparent leadership in organizations. His articles have been published in Institutuional Investor, Newsweek, Barron's, and The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on CNN, CNBC, and NPR. As a keynote speaker, he has presented to more than 30,000 people globally.

Previously, Barry Libert held positions with McKinsey & Company, Arthur Andersen, and the John Hancock. He received his BA from Tufts and his MBA (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Columbia University.

Michael Mayer is a senior at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in finance, and expects to receive a BS in Economics in May 2012. His interest in the value of social media has led Mayer to research the value of selfdetermination and self-actualization in business and government. Mayer worked as a marketing representative for Vita Coco, a large sports drink company. He also has worked for Baby Blues BBQ in Philadelphia, helping to enhance the company's use of social media. Mayer worked as an investment-banking analyst for Credit Suisse during summer 2011.

Caroline McCarthy is a journalist, columnist, and television commentator for CBS and CNET.com, reporting on digital innovation and new media. She has appeared on CNBC's "Power Lunch," "On the Money," and "Street Signs;" MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and "MSNBC News Now;" CBS' "The Early Show;" NBC's "Today;" and NPR's "Talk of the Nation" (among various other television and radio programs) talking about technology from Facebook to iPads, and about net neutrality. McCarthy is a 2006 graduate of Princeton University with a degree in History of Science and a certificate in Creative Writing.

Nadav Samin is a doctoral candidate in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University whose research concerns the cultural politics of modern Saudi Arabia. Samin's publications include an analysis of debates on tribal Internet discussion forums in the kingdom. His articles and reviews have been published in the Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, Arab Studies Journal, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. Previously, Samin was an Arabic translator and a lecturer in Political Science at Hunter College, New York City. Samin recently returned from a three-month research trip to Saudi Arabia, where he conducted interviews with Saudi Internet forum administrators and web entrepreneurs.

Philip Seib is Professor of Journalism and Public Diplomacy and Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, and is director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy. He is author or editor of numerous books, including Headline Diplomacy: How News Coverage Affects Foreign Policy; The Global Journalist: News and Conscience in a World of Conflict; Beyond the Front Lines: How the News Media Cover a World Shaped by War; Broadcasts from the Blitz: How Edward R. Murrow Helped Lead America into War; New Media and the New Middle East; The Al Jazeera Effect; and Global Terrorism and New Media: The Post-Al Qaeda Generation. He is editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Series in International Political Communication, co-editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy, and co-editor of the journal Media, War, and Conflict.