On Wednesday, three TCU political science professors, Manochehr Dorraj, Ralph Carter and Michael Dodson, hosted a panel about the recent uprisings in the Middle East. The professors said they wanted to provide a proper context as to why these events were occurring so students could be informed on an issue that most know little about.

The major point of discussion was about just how essential social media websites, like Facebook and Twitter, have been in organizing protests as well as in keeping open lines of communication with other resistance members.

This movement, which has swept across several countries now, has been largely a youth-driven movement. Too many times, people are told that social media is making this new generation poor communicators or that we live our lives on these sites instead of having actual conversations with live human beings. And while that may be the case for some students who click that refresh button every five minutes to see what their friend is cooking for dinner, to use these cases as proof that social media is a waste of one’s time is irresponsible.

It’s nice to see the professors champion this new form of communication using real, empirical evidence rather than standing up on soapboxes and saying this newest thing is bad. And in the age where shouting matches and idiocracy reign supreme in the news, the stance the professors took is a rare one.

News editor Patrick Burns for the editorial board.