It was said that social media such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp played a significant role in facilitating communication and interaction among participants in demonstrations and protests in the Middle East and North Africa between 2010 and 2012 known widely as the Arab Spring. Protesters apparently used Twitter specifically to organize demonstrations (both pro- and anti-governmental), disseminate information about their activities, and raise local and global awareness of ongoing events.
In the current protests in Hong Kong which is still ongoing - started in early June 2019 and now into its 10th week, a new form of social media was introduced as a form of communication amongst the protesters. The widespread use of this apps - AirDrop.
AirDrop is a sharing apps that allows Apple devices to send photos and videos over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and it was used in the protests in Hong Kong by the protesters to breach China’s Great Firewall in order to spread information. It's a peer to peer communication that lets users quickly and conveniently share photos or videos with other Apple users, and you can do it anonymously if you want. The apps can only be used across Apple devices and not Android systems.
Airdrops have long been a useful tactic to get behind enemy lines. During World War I, Allied forces used aircraft and balloons to drop propaganda leaflets over German-occupied countries to combat the enemy’s psychological warfare. South Korean activists have also long used balloons to deliver information critical of the North Korean regime to those on the other side of the demilitarized zone.
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