ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Cairo's contested real and virtual public spaces as urban youth and bloggers protest for democratic reforms. The study attempts to answer the question: does virtual space affect and modify real space, and give a new dimension to human communication interactions? The research for this study used a qualitative ethnographic analysis of Egyptian bloggers' real and virtual experiences of political activism and civil participation (Fahmi 2009). The author's discussions with various bloggers focused on their opinions regarding cyberactivism and the blogosphere as spaces of protest. Anecdotal records are based on participant observation during bloggers' sit-ins and street demonstrations for democratic reforms over a period of six months (March–August 2006), and highlight the social dimension of the blogosphere as spaces of protest (Fahmi 2009).
