Although Iraqis are newcomers when it comes to using the Internet — since they were not aware of the diverse services of the web prior to 2003 — the Internet has quickly transformed into an important and inseparable part of the lives of Iraqis, especially the youth. In light of the unstable security situation and the absence of a genuine civil society in the country, social networks — Facebook in particular — have afforded them a space to present their views regarding the situation in the country and organize protests against the ongoing setbacks they face in their everyday lives.

The people of the Middle East have discovered a new use for social networking, which was something that those who created these networks had not considered. They transformed social networks into a "protest square," rather than just being a network of relationships and friendships between individuals. Accordingly, when you enter into the Middle Eastern "world" of Facebook, you see that it is full of political and social content, particularly that which criticizes the prevailing political, social and religious situation, in addition to the affairs of everyday life. Thus, these networks have dramatically contributed to the success of the Arab Spring revolutions, which has resulted in some calling them "Facebook revolutions." 

Iraqis have learned very quickly how to create a "Facebook world" and use all of the available capabilities of this network to protest and oppose the tragedy in which they live. Furthermore, similar experiences — such as the Egyptian “Facebook Youth Movement” — have greatly contributed to developing their experience. Iraqi Facebook pages enthusiastically followed the news of the first Egyptian revolution — and particularly the second — attempting to replicate this model and apply it in Iraq.

What Facebook represents for young Iraqis is directly linked to the country's sociopolitical infrastructure. When society lacks natural channels and tools for highlighting the people's demands and protesting, they will naturally resort to an alternative. This is what social networking sites — in particular Facebook — have provided them. In Iraq, parties are not established on a popular basis and their doors are not open for everyone to participate in the political process. There are no wide-ranging professional institutions or unions that allow individuals to express the opinions of their group. Moreover, in most cases media outlets are controlled by particular parties. In addition, the bad security situation constitutes a risk for dissidents, who are threatened by the government, militias and terrorist groups all at once. Facebook has thus transformed into the only channel to rebel against the status quo, to organize voices of dissent and create a societal current that has no way of expressing itself in its natural environment.