| Summary: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === Digital technologies have created a new environment in the virtual world, which may either reinforce or undermine state authority. The wave of protests that erupted in the North African region during the last decade has increased the interest of scholars in investigating the catalysts for these uprisings. While there are conflicting views about the role of new technology in social protest, the Arab Spring has highlighted the role played by social media as a key tool in garner mass mobilization. However, a number of other factors could have been involved in the Arab uprisings. Thus, focusing only on one particular cause may lead to incorrect conclusions. Using cross-sectional-time series data, and multivariate regression, this thesis seeks to demonstrate that the Internet has a direct relationship with the onset of civil protests in Africa when certain economic conditions exist.
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