Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted

     Malcom Gladwell directed this article toward the new generation of social activists. He sees a problem in the method being used to garner support for a cause. Rather than convincing others to protest and make a change through physical communication, it's much more common for people to use social networking. He believes that social networking is only effective when you're not asking a lot of someone. He found this a problem, because it will not result in any great changes in our society. He wrote this article to convince us, this new generation, to steer away from allowing social networks to prevent us from making a difference.
     He employs irony when he says, "No one seemed to wonder why people trying to coordinate protests in Iran would be writing in any language other than Farsi." This is a logical argument of why social networking is not beneficial in revolution. He appeals to the reader's emotions in his inclusion of direct quotes from the first four students who sat down at the lunch counter. They describe the fear they felt, and the author goes on to describe the methods their opposers used to instill terror. This allows the reader to understand the level of courage it would have taken to stand up for this cause. Gladwell juxtaposes this story with others in which much less is asked of participants, such as signing up for a donor registry. Things like that may take some time, but they do not require the same level of strength of will.
     I consider this an effective argument. Gladwell makes a good point when he contrasts the social networking protests with the protests that result from direct communication. We are much more likely to participate in a cause that puts us at risk or requires a lot of us when we are face to face with someone who we share a strong tie with. Any time we're asked to do something through a social network, we are more reluctant to participate. We may be convinced by their argument and we may believe in their argument, but without the direct contact, the likeliness of our participation would generally drop significantly.