TY - JOUR T1 - HYPOCRISY AND FALLACY OF SOCIAL MEDIA FREEDOM ON NATIONAL SECURITY: MIRRORING THE 2021 TRUMP BLOCKAGE AGAINST SELECTED AFRICAN CASES TT - HYPOCRISY AND FALLACY OF SOCIAL MEDIA FREEDOM ON NATIONAL SECURITY: MIRRORING THE 2021 TRUMP BLOCKAGE AGAINST SELECTED AFRICAN CASES AU - Simura, Blessing PY - 2021 DA - September DO - 10.30520/tjsosci.972872 JF - The Journal of Social Science JO - TJSS PB - Cenk AKSOY WT - DergiPark SN - 2587-0807 SP - 361 EP - 376 VL - 5 IS - 10 LA - en AB - 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. KW - Social Media KW - National Security KW - Donald Trump KW - Uprisings KW - Media Freedom N2 - 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. CR - Akhavan-Majid, R. 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