Social media help protestors organise demonstrations. Protestors can initiate, grow and manage demonstrations. Pictures and video of protests spread rapidly. Supporters arrive more quickly than the police can get control of them. Therefore, governments can no longer rely on force to calm minor protests. Showing shocking police behaviour on social media can motivate people to get involved and encourage the hesitant ones to act.

However, social media can also help those in power. They can easily monitor the messages protestors are sending out. Cellphone videos provide visual records of the demonstrators.

Social media have been used in the Arab Spring uprisings. They have more recently been used in demonstrations in Brazil and Turkey.

Turkey’s prime minister said that social media are very dangerous to society. Facebook protesters in Egypt, Iran, Tunisia, and Brazil have been called "Twitter Revolutionaries". The digital media they have used show how technology can initiate, manage, and increase demonstrations.

Marketers have long analysed social media content and messages to sell products and brands. Now, police forces can do the same thing to find likely trouble. Meanwhile, technology still gives protesters an advantage.