Question

analyzing and evaluating arguments
pre-test complete
1 2 3
read the excerpt from \the role of social media in
the arab uprisings\ by heather brown, emily guskin,
and amy mitchell.
almost immediately after the arab uprisings began,
there was debate over the role and influence of social
media in the ouster of tunisian president zine el
abidine ben ali and the imminent overthrow of
egyptian president hosni mubarak . in covering what
some deemed the facebook or twitter revolutions, the
media focused heavily on young protesters mobilizing
in the streets in political opposition, smartphones in
hand. and since then, the violent and sectarian unrest
in syria has brought increased attention to the role of
citizen journalism.
social media indeed played a part in the arab
uprisings. networks formed online were crucial in
organizing a core group of activists, specifically in
egypt. civil society leaders in arab countries
emphasized the role of \the internet, mobile phones,
and social media\ in the protests. additionally, digital
media has been used by arabs to exercise freedom of
speech and as a space for civic engagement.
now, research is emerging that reexamines in a more
detailed way the role that social media played in the
arab uprisings.
what is the claim in this excerpt?
○ during the arab uprisings, media outlets focused on
young protesters, who were unimportant in the
struggle.
○ media descriptions of the arab uprisings related to
facebook or twitter diminished interest in citizen
journalism.
○ social media affected the arab uprisings, but its
impact was not felt as strongly in egypt as in other
countries.
○ social media affected the arab uprisings, but its
impact was not what the news media originally
thought it was.

Explanation:

To determine the claim, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The excerpt says media focused on young protesters, but doesn't say they were unimportant. Eliminate.
• Option 2: The excerpt states Syria's unrest increased attention to citizen journalism, not that media descriptions diminished it. Eliminate.
• Option 3: The excerpt doesn't compare Egypt's impact to other countries. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The excerpt says social media played a part, but research is reexamining its role, meaning its impact was not as the news media originally thought. This matches.

Answer:

D. Social media affected the Arab uprisings, but its impact was not what the news media originally thought it was.