Blogging started in the West as a way to record personal experiences, akin to an electronic diary. Bloggers were motivated by an urge to use modern technology for personal ends. As computers and internet access became indispensable to everyday life, blogging became easier and easier. It soon left the realm of the private and became widely used in professional and political life–by journalists, corporations, politicians, and commentators.
As the phenomenon moved eastward, the nature of blogging changed. Beginning in Eastern Europe, blogging as well as other online tools started being used at the turn of this century as a way to publicize news of political unrest. Reports about demonstrations, marches and strikes spread across virtual space, with bloggers often urging people to mobilize in order to transform their societies. Political blogs became more important than non-political ones as the Eastern European experience taught the world that blogs were capable of bringing about political change.
The story in Egypt is quite different as political blogging has yet to deliver such transformative results. The Egyptian blogosphere is less than a decade old, yet the number of bloggers is over half a million. Young Egyptians from all over the country are becoming increasingly aware of blogging as a means of self-expression. What started as an urban middle class phenomena is now extending into places like Upper Egypt and spreading across different social strata. Even though blogs remain inaccessible to many, due to high illiteracy rates, unaffordable computer prices, power shortages, and the high cost of internet service, the phenomenon has proliferated remarkably. Many western observers read this as a sign of impending political change in Egypt, but I propose to look at it from a different perspective–by examining the motives of young Egyptians who choose to blog.
The number of Egyptian bloggers is steadily on the rise. New blogs are created every day, representing a wide range of interests–cuisine, fashion, politics, art, and literature, to name a few. The map is quite comprehensive. At the same time, it is hard to find a blog that does not tackle political issues in some way or another, in a country where politics intersects with all other aspects of life.
For example, one of the oldest blogs in Egypt is “Mistiqua in the kitchen.” Started by a young lady facing kitchen challenges and getting experience through trial and error, one occasionally finds it discussing political issues, such as Israel’s war on Gaza, or poverty in Egypt. Another example is the famous blog, later turned into a book then a soap opera, called "I want to be a bride." With a great sense of humor, the blogger addresses the problem of aging girls in Egypt who face the prospect of remaining unwedded, a dilemma caused by the prevailing socio-economic and political conditions.
These two blogs only touch lightly only political issues. Those which attract international media attention tend to be more explicitly political. Names like Arabawy, Tahyyes, Misrdigital come to mind as blogs which have become known to human rights defenders and activists around the world.
The Egyptian regime does not tolerate virtual dissent, be it on Facebook, twitter, or the blogosphere. Many well-known bloggers have been jailed for their activities. But their efforts over the past few years have bore some fruit as Egypt has seen increasing levels of political mobilization. Hopes of bringing about political change, however, have yet to be realized. There is a lot missing from the Eastern Europe experience; the virtual world is active, yet bloggers must do a lot more to have a stronger impact on the real world.
Many average Egyptians do not relate to the blogosphere and don’t see blogs as a tool to solve their daily problems. Those living below the poverty line–roughly 20 percent of the population–worry about their daily survival, often more so than about human rights or political reform. While it is not the responsibility of bloggers to overcome general political apathy, they must find a way to make blogs more appealing to a wider segment of the Egyptian public–if not to spur political change then as a platform for ordinary people to assert their voices. And politics will always be entangled.
Blogging in Egypt is an existential question. Simply put, it is about people having the ability to express themselves, with or without an audience. To blog or not to blog is the question now for many young Egyptians who find virtual space a more convenient medium to speak their minds and voice their opinions in a society that is becoming less and less tolerant of alternative perspectives.
Amal Hamada is an assistant professor of political science at Cairo University.
