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A protester pleads with soldiers to allow her through the wire barricade outside the Tunisian prime minister's office on January 24, 2011 in Tunis. Getty Images
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Egyptians celebrate the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square in February 2011 / AP
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Tunisians were the first to see their protests bring down a long-established leader, since when the 'Arabic spring' has spread through the Middle East. AFP
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Demonstrators shout slogans against the Syrian regime during a protest following the Friday prayers in Wadi Khaled on the Lebanese-Syrian border on December 30, 2011 AFP
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Anti-government protesters flash victory sign in the city of Daraa, Syria.
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Demonstrators shout slogans against the Syrian regime during a protest following the Friday prayers in Wadi Khaled on the Lebanese-Syrian border on December 30, 2011. AFP
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A Tunisian protester holding a baguette talks to riot policemen during a demonstration in Tunis on January 18, 2011. AFP
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A protester pleads with soldiers to allow her through the wire barricade outside the Tunisian prime minister's office on January 24, 2011 in Tunis. Getty Images
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Egyptians celebrate the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square in February 2011 / AP
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Tunisians were the first to see their protests bring down a long-established leader, since when the 'Arabic spring' has spread through the Middle East. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/MJELUAT7OJ4WAZNQ4IOSU53VKI.jpg?smart=true&auth=8c3efd05092f3a5ab8904610988a7b0b9bacf7256c93efd73292dce1616f8ac4&width=400&height=225)
Demonstrators shout slogans against the Syrian regime during a protest following the Friday prayers in Wadi Khaled on the Lebanese-Syrian border on December 30, 2011 AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/XETWY4QTNFJLBXRGPCV44CTXLM.jpg?smart=true&auth=9f2cfa3cda73d80945a1f2dd2dd610bd0dea48d032f12c828f9136ce72453794&width=400&height=225)
Anti-government protesters flash victory sign in the city of Daraa, Syria.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/GIFUQK3YVO6JJQGJS5QINHPK6E.jpg?smart=true&auth=b61cd5eedbafb00e95b179a3e45f09df96374ecd4cc8b60131773ea546f6d01e&width=400&height=225)
Demonstrators shout slogans against the Syrian regime during a protest following the Friday prayers in Wadi Khaled on the Lebanese-Syrian border on December 30, 2011. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZQYBZAZPEHCIF2CWDWHSOUX4XU.jpg?smart=true&auth=cb787ba232e63841dd58a2fd483e274ffcf59f37791d11891c360cfdb564e49f&width=400&height=225)
A Tunisian protester holding a baguette talks to riot policemen during a demonstration in Tunis on January 18, 2011. AFP
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A protester pleads with soldiers to allow her through the wire barricade outside the Tunisian prime minister's office on January 24, 2011 in Tunis. Getty Images
How the Arab uprisings created a generation of tech-savvy protesters
For youth seeking change, the internet was a 'new tool to play with, and to dream with'
![Layla Mashkoor](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Farc-authors%2Fthenational%2Ffbe34f3a-d8fb-4b18-b75e-38084fc956a0.png?smart=true&auth=3026c43dea4ea194889bb2a9c7d3b4be3e71a5f560923bd767ea0cf8c4528d98&width=70&height=70)
Layla Mashkoor
19 February, 2021
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