Why are contemporary political revolutions leaderless? An agent-based explanation

Abstract

Modern revolutions, like the recent uprisings in the so-called Arab Spring, seem to be organized by social network technologies and characterized by a lack of a strong political leadership. This feature is in sharp contrast with the previous historical revolutions, often shaped by charismatic figures. The present paper provides an explanation for this radical change into an agent-based framework: simulations show that, without the use of social media, influential leaders are necessary to obtain a huge mass mobilization whereas, in the presence of a social network, it is possible to accomplish this result without the need of a strong political leadership.