Pakistan, Jan. 25 -- The Arab Spring of 2010 transformed several Arab countries within two years. Some saw their monarchies toppled. Some saved themselves by introducing reforms into the social and economic spheres. The major effort had been to save one's monarchy - even by paying a cost.

The Arab monarchies were taken by surprise. They had underestimated the impact of social media and digital technologies on informal interconnectivity of their citizens. The connection defied the state narratives being transmitted through either the state-operated public sector media or the state-influenced private sector media - both print and electronic. Circumventing the grasp of the state, people nurtured collective activism to raise their voice for ...