What role did Facebook and the smartphone play in the escape of the President of Sri Lanka?

Smartphones and social networking sites have played a pivotal role in conveying the voice and images of the protesters, making them top news around the world.

When the protesters stormed the presidential palace, the expression "I am here" was activated among the demonstrators, to convey the events in front and inside the palace after the president fled it.

Sri Lanka has more than 11 million Internet users, which represents about half of the country's population, which means they use social networking sites, and the Facebook platform tops the list of the most popular sites.

Researcher in humanities Vindia Boothpedia says that the state media's condoning of violence against civilian protesters was unjustified, and the authority's contribution to concealing the facts, warning of impunity for the perpetrators.

About 4 months before the overthrow of the president, the platforms witnessed calls for organizing protests and broadcasting the demonstrations that were organized at the time due to the lack of food, medicine and fuel, which prompted people to go out and broadcast the demonstrations through their smartphones constantly, and the hashtags that were published on the Twitter platform contributed to Change.

Regarding the spread of the Internet in the country, media expert Nalaka Gunawardene confirmed that the number of active users of Facebook in Sri Lanka has reached about 8 million users, and that the numbers are increasing every day, and the platform has become a key element in transmitting events, organizing protests and sharing information.

The protesters also attacked government channels to stop broadcasting and prevent what they called the emergence of "government horns."

Sri Lankan researcher Sanjana Hatutwa believes that what happened is important and historical, and that the media networks that were promoting the president and members of his government by spreading misinformation against the demonstrators were forced to cover the events, after the communication platforms contributed to the eradication of media illiteracy inside the country, he said.

After the president transferred his powers to the prime minister and left Sri Lanka, members of parliament rushed to elect a new president for the country, and the protests calmed down to make way for saving what could be saved on the deteriorating standard of living.