Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the 18 days of protests in Egypt (and around the world) demanding change, starting with the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak stepped down today after 30 years of iron-fisted rule in Egypt. For the first time in thirty years the people of Egypt have exercised their power and furthered their right to democracy and decision-making. Among other things, the revolt freed Egyptians from the unrelenting oppression of martial law forced upon them by Mubarak’s rule.

Especially impressive and empowering is the huge role that Egyptian women played in the protests and revolution. According to an article titled, “Arab Women Lead the Charge” a relatively unknown Egyptian woman named Asmaa Mahfouz is now believed to be the person who 3 weeks ago sparked the revolution.  Mahfouz has been an online political activist for the past three years. After posting a video blog demanding that Egyptian men and women step away from their computers and cell phones to stand in the street and protest the corrupt government, ruler and security forces, the revolution began. You can watch the video that started it all HERE (the call for action starts around 1:30.)

This event showed the connective and unifying power of social media, the internet, and other social networking sites that can unite and energize an entire country to start a revolutionary movement that has changed the face of Egypt forever. In Tunisia, Egypt and across the Arab world women are the proponents of protests, revolution and have been speaking out against gender-oppressive regimes.  Journalist Emad Mekay explains, “Women have visibly been in the forefront in demonstrations at Tahrir Square and other places-in a society where women traditionally have taken a back seat.”

While not minimizing the actual participation of men as well as women in the Egyptian revolution and its outcome, a single woman’s video going viral in a male dominated culture where women’s roles have otherwise been circumscribed, can set a spark which has the potential to end oppression and fire-up a revolution. The fact that a young woman (usually forgotten member of Egyptian society) lit the match that started it all is all the more amazing.

When you think about Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks, questions of health care, rural African villages, and humanitarian aid are not the first things that pop up in your mind.  Although, social networking sites are oftentimes used for social purposes, they have one prevailing positive attribute: the ability to “spread the word” to hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Whether it be Facebook groups asking users to “like” actress, Megan Fox, or sites like YouTube that turn a 14-year old kid with a web cam into Justin Beiber, social networking sites certainly get the message across.

And its relevance to provision of basic health care to people in African countries? Assuming that the average American has no idea about the current state of health care systems in rural African villages, a simple Tweet, Facebook post, or blog can spread the experiences and needs of rural health systems to a person with a computer or smart phone in New York, London, Beijing, Cape Town, and even small town America. Social media (through the internet) is a relatively new phenomenon with capabilities beyond that which any kind of campaign or social movement has ever experienced.

As the m-Health conference concluded, one of the biggest headlines was the expectation of 500 million mobile health devices being used on the African continent in the next 5 years. If 500 million is the number of mobile health devices (typically cell phones) used on the African continent, internet and cell phone use among people in African countries must be enormously higher. Thus, the potential for a strong, direct connection between people living and working in African countries with people living and working in Iowa, Florida, and Michigan is incredible.

According to a study done by the Society for New Communications Research, the nonprofit world uses social media more than any other social institution. The opportunity for global connection and cooperation are endless when social media is employed to its fullest.  Despite trivial, superficial and admittedly negative effects of the ever growing social media movement, do you think social media should be considered as a useful force in providing health access, care and development to African countries? What are some of the downsides of this new social media revolution?