Is Twitter revolutionizing revolutions?

When reading the media coverage about the revolution in Egypt, there is no doubt that new digital technologies, such as twitter and facebook, have played an important role in the protests that forced Hosni Mubarak to step down from his presidency over Egypt. The internet played such a prominent role in the revolution that the government allegedly ordered it to be shut down in an attempt to slow down the protests. But during, and prior to the shutdown of the internet, protesters and activists utilized the growing social networks online, in addition to door to door protesting, to give fuel to the revolution. Facebook pages and websites urge people to get involved in the fight against corruption, while floods of traffic on the website twitter offer alternative perspectives to the local media, this page shows 30+ tweets from Egyptian citizens and reporters during the revolution that paint a picture of the state of the country. My personal favorite, from CNN reporter Ben Wedeman, is pictured below:But while the media is certainly discussing the impact of the new digital technologies in the revolution, there is little deeper discussion into them. Media, and protesters, point to Tunisia’s recent successes with the technology in their own struggles as a reason for the use of the new technologies, and nearly everyone anticipates that digital media outlets will continue to be widely used in future disputes and protests at a variety of scales, from local to global. However I think the most important thing that this new medium for protest and information allows for is the creation of multiple perspectives. Through mediums such as blogs and tweets,  thousands of people are painting a picture of a situation, rather than a mere  3 or 4 different news station reporters and a room of editors showing a story. We, as outsiders looking in, see a more complex and more complete view of situations, allowing the rest of the globe to see a more accurate portrayal of the real issues. While there will still be issues with these mediums, such as information leaks and privacy concerns, right now digital media has found a place in global politics, and will likely be relevant for years to come.