UPDATED 17:25 EDT / FEBRUARY 21 2011

Egyptian Baby Girl Named “Facebook” Marks the Ultimate Acknowledgement

Canadian best-selling author, Malcolm Gladwell has been especially vocal in challenging social media and even tagging it as overrated. He feels that it has no significant influence on social activism and is mere weak digital connections. But, how would Gladwell react if he learns about an Egyptian baby girl named “Facebook”. Yes, it’s official. This first born was named after the social network that became instrumental in spreading the news about the revolution that’s transpiring in the country.

Al-Ahram of a local newspaper noted: “The girl’s family, friends, and neighbors in the Ibrahimya region gathered around the new born to express their continuing support for the revolution that started on Facebook. ‘Facebook’ received many gifts from the youth who were overjoyed by her arrival and the new name.”

Baby “Facebook’s” father, Jamal Ibrahim told reporters that he wanted to express his gratitude about the triumph that was reached by naming his firstborn girl after the social media tool integral to the liberating revolution. The 30-year old rule was the main target of the protest

While Gladwell is continues to argue and we quote “People with a grievance will always find ways to communicate with each other. How they choose to do it is less interesting, in the end, than why they were driven to do it in the first place,” people from the country that were moved by Facebook acknowledges that what just happened in their country is a social media revolution.

What many realized during this period was the depth that Facebook, social media and the internet can reach in such a serious situation. What we know as a venue to exchange messages, post pictures, videos and chat with friends, others use to help a country rise from crucial circumstance. Why? It’s a simple reason- it reaches thousands of miles and breach borders in just a single snap, with little constraint on one’s physical nature.


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.

  • 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
  • 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About SiliconANGLE Media
SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI.

Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.