Revolution found a new voice in the past months, as social media and other alternative communication resources helped to rouse protests throughout the Middle East.

With Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Bin Ali forced from office, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak enduring a third week of demonstrators demanding his resignation, headlines around the world have read similar to The New York Times’ “Movement Began With Outrage And a Facebook Page That Gave It an Outlet.”

The new use of social networks is both innovative and exciting; however, an important distinction must be made between the causes of revolution and the tools of revolution. In this case, decades of frustration and impeded rights were the causes, while Facebook, Twitter and the TV/Internet network Al Jazeera were merely tools.

This distinction should be made not to undermine the effective use of social media, but rather to focus attention on the message of the revolution and the individuals shouting it from the streets.

To name these the Twitter or Facebook Revolutions is to forget the courage of Mohamed Bouazizi, whose self-immolation in front of a Tunisian government building sparked a call for freedom that has spread to Egypt, Yemen, Jordan and Algeria. Similarly, to credit Al Jazeera with the effectiveness of the Egyptian protests is to undermine the perseverance of the thousands that have filled Tahrir Square for weeks.

More importantly, the spirit of the revolutions must be in the spotlight, rather than the tools of the revolution. These are not revolutions of social media; they are revolutions of liberty and equality, of opportunity and expression.

Arab youths are risking everything to confront authoritarian rulers that have taken away the basic rights of their people for too long. The people of Egypt are educated and competent, and yet live in poverty without the ability to make the changes they want and their country needs.

What the world is witnessing may very well be the spread of democracy throughout the Middle East, toppling of autocracy and stale, old regimes. As such, we must not celebrate the vehicle of change until after it has been accomplished. Instead, we must devote our energy to lifting up those principles that we hold dear, but that have been buried under the hatred, extremism and a false sense of stability perpetrated by numerous Middle East governments.

Freedom and equality can only flourish in the Middle East if it’s homegrown, not imported from abroad. To credit these social networks is to celebrate what we created, and we must instead celebrate the change that they demanded.