When US President Barack Obama was sworn in in 2009, I watched it from Spain where I was living at the time. I sat in Barcelona that evening, watching the ceremony live on Facebook and reading people’s reactions in real time.

Everyone was experiencing the moment firsthand with each other. It didn’t matter if we were in Asia, America or Europe, the Internet had brought us together and made the moment feel like we were there – because we were. The Internet seemed like a bastion of freedom and hope.