Question

read the excerpt from the role of social media in the arab uprisings by heather brown, emily guskin, and amy mitchell.
almost immediately after the arab uprisings began, there was debate over the role and influence of social media in the ouster of tunisian president zine el abidine ben - ali and the imminent overthrow of egyptian president hosni mubarak. in covering what some deemed the facebook or twitter revolutions, the media focused heavily on young protesters mobilizing in the streets in political opposition, smartphones in hand. and since then, the violent and sectarian unrest in syria has brought increased attention to the role of citizen journalism.
social media indeed played a part in the arab uprisings. networks formed online were crucial in organizing a core group of activists, specifically in egypt. during the arab uprisings, media outlets focused on young protesters, who were important in the uprisings.
media descriptions of the arab uprisings related to facebook or twitter diminished interest in citizen journalism.
social media affected the arab uprisings, but its impact was not felt as strongly in egypt as in other countries.
social media affected the arab uprisings, but its impact was not what the news media originally thought it was.
what is the claim in this excerpt?

Explanation:

The passage discusses the role of social media in the Arab uprisings, noting that while it had an impact, it was not as significant as initially thought by the news - media. It also mentions how media focused on young protesters and the role of citizen journalism.

Answer:

Social media affected the Arab uprisings, but its impact was not what the news media originally thought it was.