Question

columnist sultan al qassemi states: \today libya is facing an even more severe internet disruption, yet we continue to see the movement picking up pace. where social media had a major impact was conveying the news to the outside world, bloggers and twitter users were able to transmit news bites that would otherwise never make it to mainstream news media.
\this information has been instrumental in garnering the attention of the citizens of the world who expressed solidarity with those suppressed individuals and may even put pressure on their own governments to react.
other uses for social media were to transmit information on medical requirements, essential telephone numbers and the satellite frequencies of al jazeera—which is continuously being disrupted.\
—\the truth about twitter, facebook and the...

what claim does this passage make about social media and the arab spring?
how does the passage support the claim?

Explanation:

First Question: What claim does this passage make about social media and the Arab Spring?

The passage states that during the Arab Spring (specifically in Libya's context with internet disruption), social media had a major impact. It was instrumental in conveying news to the outside world (via bloggers, Twitter users transmitting news bites), garnering global citizen attention for suppressed individuals, putting pressure on governments, and was also used for practical purposes like transmitting medical requirements, essential phone numbers, and Al Jazeera's satellite frequencies (despite disruptions). So the claim is that social media played a crucial, multi - faceted role in the Arab Spring—facilitating news transmission, global solidarity, government pressure, and practical support.

1. News Transmission: It shows that social media let bloggers and Twitter users transmit news bites that would not have reached mainstream media otherwise, proving its role in news dissemination.
2. Global Solidarity and Pressure: It states that the information from social media garnered global citizen attention for suppressed individuals, creating solidarity and putting pressure on governments.
3. Practical Support: It gives examples like using social media to transmit medical requirements, essential telephone numbers, and Al Jazeera's satellite frequencies (even with disruptions), showing its practical utility during the crisis.

Answer:

The passage claims that social media played a major and multi - faceted role in the Arab Spring (in Libya's context with internet disruption). It was instrumental in conveying news to the outside world (enabling bloggers and Twitter users to transmit news bites to mainstream media), garnering the attention of global citizens for suppressed individuals (building solidarity and putting pressure on governments), and was also used for practical purposes such as transmitting medical requirements, essential telephone numbers, and Al Jazeera's satellite frequencies (despite disruptions to these frequencies).

Second Question: How does the passage support the claim?