In December 2010, the people of Tunisia, a country located in northern Africa, rebelled against their oppressive ruler, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. What triggered this uprising was an “act of desperation,” the self-immolation of 26-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian businessman (The Star). Bouazizi had been an unlicensed vegetable trader for seven years before his cart was confiscated by a police officer who then "slapped the thin young man, spat in his face and insulted his dead father" (Abouzied). However, the revolution was also a consequence of the Tunisian government's sudden transparency, thanks to government cables published on WikiLeaks.org. Subsequently, people around the world used their various social networking accounts and thus created what has been called a social media revolution. Tunisia's uprising triggered a chain reaction in other North African states, including but not limited to: Libya, Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen. In all the revolutions that have erupted in Africa since December, and even before, social networks have played an important role in reporting the events; not only do these sites report news posted by its members, but social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have also been the meeting place where people in these countries have organized to protest. WikiLeaks was nothing more than “a catalyst: both a trigger and a tool for public protest,” unleashing civil disobedience against the government and provoking acts of rioting and protest, which were organized, in large part, because of the globalized effects of Twitter and Facebook. (Dickenson). While it is clear that revolutions do not need a meeting ground where protesters can organize, in the 21st century the Internet has always had... paper medium... RadioInternational. January 27, 2011. Web."Social Network: Facebook and freedom | The Economist." The Economist - World news, politics, economics, business and finance. September 29, 2010. Web.Kinsman, Jeremy. “The Rise of Democracy: Tunisia and Egypt, When the Idealists Got It Right.” PolicyOptions (April 2011). Print.Mungiu-Pippidi, Alina and Igor Munteanu. “Moldova's 'Twitter Revolution'” Journal ofDemocracy 20.3 (2009): 136-42. Print.Dickenson, Elizabeth. "The first WikiLeaks revolution? | WikiLeaked." WikiLeaked |FOREIGN POLICY. January 13, 2011. Web.Azzam, Maha. “Opinion: How WikiLeaks helped fuel the Tunisian revolution CNN.” Featured Articles from CNN. January 18, 2011. Web.Mills, Eliza and Ariana Siegel. “Tweet like an #Egyptian.” Tuft Watcher. Web.Atagana, Michelle. "Crisis in Egypt: the role of Twitter". Memeburn.com. February 2, 2011. Web.