“One resists the invasion of armies; one does not resist the invasion of ideas.” – Victor Hugo

It is no secret that Twitter and Facebook have shaken up governments and institutions across the world over the last couple years – but their impact has only just begun. These social media platforms will do more to change the world than any other government, nonprofit, person, technology, or initiative over the next decade.

People in the developed world generally understand that these networks have had a profound impact on the world – but usually with a very limited view. They are not simply networks used to stay in touch with friends and consume content shared by influencers. They have democratized content creation and distribution – and therefore, transformed power. Anyone, anywhere, regardless of wealth, power, or influence can instantly have access to real-time information throughout the world and have a voice in the conversation. Instantly. Unfiltered.

However, only 1 in 7 people in the world are connected to these social networks today and coincidentally, the ratio of people in the world living under a free press – one of the main pillars of any free society – is only slightly better.

This remaining majority of the world experiences limited political news coverage, journalists are not free to safely write what they feel, and the state generally controls – or at least strongly influences – the media’s message. Many of the people in these countries are not only limited from hearing objective outside voices, but restricted from using their own voice. And five to six billion is a lot of people being confined.

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook transform this overnight.

Access to this sort of information and communication will enable people to understand their human rights. It will show standards that they can compare against their situation. It will allow people to share their thoughts on a mass scale. What people deem important and relevant across the world will rise to the top – not what a politician or news agency decides.

Governments will no longer be able to have a top-down, command and control conversation with their citizens. The conversation will have to be two-ways. They will have to earn their legitimacy. Transparency and accountability will increase. Corruption will decrease. Oppression will decrease. In the world of smartphones where anyone can share a tweet, photo or video, the cost of doing something bad significantly increases. The ease of monopolizing power decreases. Democracy prevails.

Both information and people want to be free. This will become a reality for all as internet connectivity continues to spread. Some governments will embrace and drive this change forward. Others will fight it, and the change will happen to them. But either way, it will happen. It is up to many world leaders in the developing world to figure out which side of history they want to be on. Don’t expect everyone to choose wisely. Expect to see an unprecedented amount of citizen empowerment and #revolution over the next decade.

Featured image source from Getty Images and CNN. Three photos above from Fonearena, The Industrial Woman, and TechDigest.