Are social networks that powerful?

DavidMixner.com: Internet: Lessons For Us From The Middle East

The above link is typical of the credit being given to Facebook and Twitter as the powerful communication weapons which facilitated the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. They have also been invaluable during natural disasters. I must confess that I do not fully understand how this is done. One thing for sure, I need to become more familiar with the power of social networks and how they are used in movements which are capable of bringing about reforms and changes in government. Up until now I had dismissed them as purely sociable and trivial, friend to friend communication, primarily designed for the young. Facebook and Twitter have obviously become something more, and I don't want to be a social network Luddite. Interesting that Mr. Mixner considers the "right to the Internet" as akin to the right to bear arms. I wonder what the NRA thinks? Could Facebook be used to curtail the abusive lobbying powers of the NRA? That I would like to see. In the meantime , I'm keeping my Facebook page and pondering whether or not to get back on Twitter. It might come in handy if I ever figure out how to use it as a rallying point for the silencing of gun fanatics. Just a fantasy!