Not all app developers like attention from Occupy Wall Street protesters. The smartphone has been at the center of the Occupy Wall Street movement, just as it has played a pivotal role in the Arab Spring.
And while the cameras in phones have recorded some of the movement’s most searing images, a growing number of apps are helping protest participants communicate and coordinate with one another. Occupy Wall Street encampments across the U.S. have been dismantled by police actions, and as cold weather sets in, the movement will have to change its tactics if it is to survive. The smartphone apps that have been helpful in facilitating communication will play a pivotal role as protesters regroup and update their strategies. But while some app developers welcome the attention, a throng of new users isn’t always welcome for those who would rather not be associated with a political movement. Remaining unaligned can minimize the risk of alienating users, and help to avoid the scrutiny of authority figures.
Protest4 WhatsApp Just how much is 1 billion messages? Conclusion. Social Media Buzz Builds for the Occupy Wall Street Movement [CHARTS] Buzz about the Occupy Wall Street movement is building to a fever pitch.
![Social Media Buzz Builds for the Occupy Wall Street Movement [CHARTS]](http://cdn.pearltrees.com/s/pic/th/social-builds-occupy-movement-17787704)
Reaching its peak on Oct. 6, the conversation about the protests still shows upward momentum, and new research from NM Incite reveals new findings about how Occupy Wall Street is playing out in social media. By studying and analyzing tweets (update: as well as blogs, boards, groups, and video/images in this first graphic), NM Incite discovered that while the Twitter and other social media buzz remained relatively steady and peaked on the weekends throughout September, the biggest boost to the number of people conversing about this topic began Oct. 1 and peaked on Thursday, Oct. 6, when the five-day surge had 13,133 messages posted about the protests on that day. What happened on Oct. 1? People were buzzing about the arrest of more than 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge: As you can see in the graph below, after those arrests, talk of the movement skyrocketed.
Egypt’s Top ‘Facebook Revolutionary’ Now Advising Occupy Wall Street. One of the key activists behind Egypt's "Facebook Revolution" is now giving advice to a new group of protesters: the Occupy Wall Street movement.
The protesters in New York's Zuccotti Park – and their offshoots around the country – often cite the mass demonstrations earlier this year in Cairo's Tahrir Square as their inspiration. So maybe it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Ahmed Maher, one of the leading figures in those Egyptian protests, has been corresponding for weeks with the Occupy Wall Streeters, whom he calls "our brothers. " Maher is one of the founders of the April 6 Youth, which used Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to galvanize Egyptians against President Hosni Mubarak. Recently, however, his attention has turned toward America, where he's been chatting online with Occupy activists.
Those conversations center around practical advice from a successful Egyptian revolutionary. That's the message he brings to D.C.' D.C. is no different. That's more in Metcalf's comfort zone.