HYPOCRISY AND FALLACY OF SOCIAL MEDIA FREEDOM ON NATIONAL SECURITY: MIRRORING THE 2021 TRUMP BLOCKAGE AGAINST SELECTED AFRICAN CASES

Year 2021, , 361 - 376, 25.09.2021

Blessing Simura

https://doi.org/10.30520/tjsosci.972872

Abstract

Social media are praised as arenas for free speech which came with emancipation and reversing authoritarian governments control of media. This article compares and contrasts the hypocrisy of the alleged promotion of free speech in Africa and the global South and denying it to Trump and his supporters in the USA when the messages had comparatively the same effects of fomenting ‘public disorder’ in the name of free speech. Using Facebook and Twitter as the case social media platforms of analysis, the paper critically reviewed literature related to the subject. It is observable that social media has often times promoted the circulation of violent and protest foment information in the global South, and regarded this as emancipatory and democratic. Whereas, in the global North, more specifically, by focusing on the 2020 USA’s contested Presidential election, it is noted that social media companies quickly stepped in to block Donald Trump statements deemed to ignite political insurrection and glorification of violence. What we then observe is the hypocritical nature of social media platforms and a continued perpetuation of the centre- periphery prism hinged on maintain a hegemonic force on the global South states that do not own and control the social media platforms.

Keywords

Social Media, National Security, Donald Trump, Uprisings, Media Freedom

HYPOCRISY AND FALLACY OF SOCIAL MEDIA FREEDOM ON NATIONAL SECURITY: MIRRORING THE 2021 TRUMP BLOCKAGE AGAINST SELECTED AFRICAN CASES

Abstract

Social media are praised as arenas for free speech which came with emancipation and reversing authoritarian governments control of media. This article compares and contrasts the hypocrisy of the alleged promotion of free speech in Africa and the global South and denying it to Trump and his supporters in the USA when the messages had comparatively the same effects of fomenting ‘public disorder’ in the name of free speech. Using Facebook and Twitter as the case social media platforms of analysis, the paper critically reviewed literature related to the subject. It is observable that social media has often times promoted the circulation of violent and protest foment information in the global South, and regarded this as emancipatory and democratic. Whereas, in the global North, more specifically, by focusing on the 2020 USA’s contested Presidential election, it is noted that social media companies quickly stepped in to block Donald Trump statements deemed to ignite political insurrection and glorification of violence. What we then observe is the hypocritical nature of social media platforms and a continued perpetuation of the centre- periphery prism hinged on maintain a hegemonic force on the global South states that do not own and control the social media platforms.

Keywords

Socal Media, National Security, Media Freedom, Uprisings, Donald Trump

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