Would you name your child ‘Facebook’?
A young Egyptian man has decided to call his first-born daughter Facebook in a tribute to the social media site’s role in his country’s political revolution.
Proud father Jamal Ibrahim, who was swept up in enthusiasm over the revolt against President Hosni Mubarak, gave his daughter the unorthodox name to express his thanks for developments in Egypt since anti-government protests started on 25 January, according to Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram.
The girl’s full name is Facebook Jamal Ibrahim, and family and friends have reportedly gathered around the newborn to express their continuing support for the revolution that started on Facebook.
Facebook has received many gifts from young people who were overjoyed by both her arrival and her inventive name, reports Al-Ahram.
Following the President’s resignation on 11 February, graffiti artists have scribed ‘Thank you Facebook’ on walls across Cairo.
The power of social media
During the uprising, thousands of Egypt-themed groups and pages appeared on Facebook, and the military government even started using the site to try and reach out to Egyptian youth.
Egypt is home to five million Facebook users – the highest number in the Middle East – and the website was instrumental in galvanising civilians for peaceful protests that eventually toppled Mubarak. Facebook itself has reported an increase in Egyptian users in the past month, with a whopping 32,000 Facebook groups and 14,000 pages created in the two weeks after January 25th.
While the baby girl could just have easily been called “YouTube,” “Twitter” or “Google”, it seems like Facebook has become the umbrella symbol for how social media can spread the message of freedom.
Source: yahoo, techcrunch
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