Social Media An Asset in Ukrainian Protests

As many already know, violent protests have broken out in Ukraine, especially in the capital Kiev. The protests started off peacefully as citizens spoke out against Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych's rejection of an accord with the European Union in order to keep good ties with Russia, but also halted the development and economy of the country by doing so. While things have been slowly escalating over the past few months, the violence exploded on February 18 when riot police came in to move the protestors out of the square. Policemen were shot, the government forces retaliated, dozens were killed, and the capital went up in literal flames.

While news coverage has increased, one of the main forms of communication between the Ukrainian protestors and the rest of the world has been social media. Journalists, citizens, and even foreign officials have used Twitter and YouTube to show watchers striking pictures and videos of just how deadly the protests have become. Sites have even released before and after pictures of Kiev's Independence Square to broadcast just how devastating the damage has been. Because of this increased awareness, all eyes are on Ukraine and the protestors have found solidarity with people thousand of miles away.

This isn't the first protest to gain global attention through social media. The Arab Spring of 2011 gained the attention it did through tweets regarding the unethical actions towards peaceful protestors from government forces. Soon, the world was addressing the protests that they were ot very aware of even weeks before.

Social media is not only an excellent way to communicate with people across the globe - it is perhaps also essential to raise awareness. Protests were known before the invention of social media or even the Internet, but watchers did not receive the same amount or quality of media. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube can be used as entertainment and are, in their own ways, are social revolutions, but they can also help fuel the fires of political revolutions as well.

More information about the Ukrainian protests:

Why is Ukraine in Turmoil? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25182823

Video and Social Media Updates from Kieve (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT) http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/live-video-and-social-media-updates-from-kiev/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Ukraine Protests: Before and After Images of Independence Square (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT) - http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/21/before-and-after-pictures-of-kievs-independence-square-capture-battle-in-ukraine-4313179/