Since the very creation of social media website, Facebook has become a household name due to ample amount of time spent browsing around friends’ pages poking them, posting on wall, randomly letting the world know what’s going on with you, and occasionally asking for help to fertilize your farm. And so it isn’t all too surprise, maybe just a little, that there is now one newborn infant within this technologically expanding world of ours has been named…Facebook. Astonishing yes, until you understand why that name has been bestowed upon the child in the first place.
An Egyptian father named his first born daughter after the website to honor Facebook’s role in helping the country during its recent revolution. Displayed throughout Cairo in graffiti and upon protest signs, the site played a pivotal role in becoming the country’s only outlet in informing the outside world of revolution which started on January 25th to oust Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and bring his political reign to an end.
Despite what we may think of Facebook being something of trivial purposes to keep in touch with our friends, the website has become something so much more. Since the revolution in Egypt the Facebook following in Egypt has grow and now has more than 5 million active users which is the popular following within both North Africa and Middle East region. Wael Ghonim, Google Executive, who organized protests against Mubarak’s government nd was subsequently kidnapped for 12 days credits Facebook and other social media websites (Twitter; Youtube) for allowing the voice of the revolting Egyptians to be heard globally.
Apart from being credited for helping Egyptians overturn Mubarak’s government, Facebook has been linked to helping the people of Tunisia overturn their own government through the availability of getting out their struggles to the world outside the country. So here’s to the newborn named, Facebook, may you live a life where you can freely boast about you daily excursions through endless status updates and obtain hundreds of friends wanting to Friend your page.
