[liberationtech] Fwd: The anatomy of an Internet-driven revolution

[Kevin Donovan]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Pål Unanue-Zahl <palu at opera.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 4:02 AM
Subject: The anatomy of an Internet-driven revolution
To: kdonovan11 at gmail.com


Oslo, Norway -  24 March, 2011, - What drives a political revolution in the
Internet era? In this month’s State of the Mobile Web, we analyzed traffic
in key countries that underwent radical change in the month of February. In
the analysis, the role of social networks became apparent, as people in
Egypt took to their mobile phones for communication. Facebook, Twitter and
other social-networking tools experienced a dramatic increase in page views
during the recent revolution in Egypt.

“It’s really an amazing feeling -- a feeling you cannot describe. You cannot
imagine what it is like to be one amongst a million,” said Ayman Shokr, an
engineer in Cairo when describing the mood in Tahrir Square. “It’s the first
time in Egypt that you can find millions of people in the street, all asking
for the same thing: freedom.”

Opera Software are the creators of the Opera Mini mobile web browser,  which
has millions of users across the Middle East. All web traffic from the Opera
Mini web browser is compressed by Opera Software, and statistics from the
servers offer a unique insight to browsing habits.

The data reveals that local opposition news sites with a normally low market
penetration experienced a surge during the demonstrations in Tahrir Square.
Some maintained their high traffic levels even after the resignation of
Mubarak, while others flattened out.

For the full analysis of the Opera Mini traffic during the Egyptian
revolution, please visit www.opera.com/smw/

The regional focus this month is on the Middle East, here are some
highlights form the report:

- Google, Facebook, and YouTube are the top 3 sites in each of the top
countries of the Middle East. Yahoo!, the BBC, and Wikipedia are also
popular in the region.
- From February 2010 to February 2011, page views in the top 10 countries of
the Middle East increased by 233%, unique users increased by 142% and data
transferred increased by 259%.
- The top 10 countries using the Opera Mini browser in the Middle East are
Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Syria, Oman and
Israel.

About Opera Software ASA

Opera Software ASA has redefined web browsing for PCs, mobile phones and
other networked devices. Opera’s cross-platform web-browser technology is
renowned for its performance, standards compliance and small size, while
giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online experience. Opera
Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices around the world.
The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol
OPERA. Learn more about Opera at http://www.opera.com/.

--
Pål Unanue-Zahl // Communications Manager
Mobile: +47 99 73 79 51 // Skype: paaluz

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-- 
Kevin Donovan
Georgetown '11: SFS
630.849.8285
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