The second event of the Rector's Lecture Series Freedom and Democracy Dialogues - The Contest over Open Society at Central European University is:
Social Networks and Media - Implications for Democracy and Civil Society
Speakers: Ahmad Gharbeia and Evgeny Morozov
Date: Friday, November 11, 5.30 p.m.
Venue: Auditorium (CEU, Nador u. 9.)
Introduction: John Shattuck, President and Rector
Moderator: Ellen Hume, Annenberg Fellow in Civic Media, Center for Media and Communication Studies
Please RSVP to dialogues@ceu.hu by November 10, 2011.
The emergence of social networking tools on the Internet such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace has changed people’s understanding of social networks. What potential do these networks have and how do they change interpersonal relations and civil society? Are they capable of mobilizing social groups that may promote democratization and the concept of open society at either the domestic or transnational levels? If so, what specific implications does this phenomenon have for democracy in general and democratization in particular?
Ahmad Gharbeia is an Egyptian computer expert, activist, and blogger. Politically active for the past six years, he participated in the Tahrir Square protests that were instrumental in ousting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from power.
Evgeny Morozov is a Belarus-born researcher and blogger and former Open Society Fellow who focuses on the political effects of the Internet. Morozov is skeptical about the Internet's ability to provoke change in authoritarian regimes because it is also a powerful conduit for authoritarian and nationalist ideas.