The use of language, the impact of technology on knowledge exchange, and the implications of knowing come together forcefully as themes relevant to the current situation in Egypt. For a number of knowledge issues connecting Theory of Knowledge exploration and real life significance, I recommend a summary of different perspectives on social media and their role in the Egyptian protest published on CNN earlier today, Making sense of the internet and Egypt.
Are internet technologies such as Twitter and Facebook a cause of demonstrations, or merely a tool equivalent to many other forms of communication of the past? The response to this question takes us into how we think of cause, that connection we make between events or situations in all of our areas of knowledge, and certainly in the political life of our societies. Is the cause the final trigger before an event? Or is it the largest contributing factor – or, somehow, the one most important? How many causes do we take into account, and how far back do we go? Who or what do we credit, and who or what do we blame?
