Ana Gonzalez Dr.

Dietel McLaughlin Writing and Rhetoric 13300 20 March 2014 Abstract In this paper I plan to expose how abusive governments in developing countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, China, Egypt, and others, affect media expression by violating the right of freedom of speech to maintain their countries ignorance and maintain therefore themselves in power. Through the invention of social media Citizens around the world also use these tools to vent political frustrations, join political groups, and organize revolutions (Logan, Ramos, 2012). These revolutions have caused enormous effects on politics around the world and are the cause of governments fear of the social media. I wish to expand my research and propose a new focus on twitter as one the predominant social medias censored by governments. Throughout my research of abusive governments and their relation with social media, I have come to notice a specific trend. This trend is characterized by closing down twitter as a whole and twitter accounts every time there is a risk or an actual protest going on in their countries. Even so, after the protests in Egypt this fear has grown stronger. Twitter has been blocked in Egypt as a result of massive protests arranged via social-networking sites (Diab 2012). More than any other social network twitters rapid progression and ability of spreading out, has become the number one social network being censored by abusive powers in order to constrain their citizens. In Venezuela specifically, Twitter Inc. (TWTR) said the Venezuelan government blocked users online images as opposition groups marched through Caracas for a third day (Laya, Frier, Kurmanaev 2014). Even in UK, prime minister David Cameron said

free flow of information" can sometimes be a problem (Gross, 2011) when threatening to shut down twitter because of the riots presented in the UK. Although the majority of the reports of media censorship, come from developing countries abusive governments such as Egypt and Venezuela, the threat that twitter presents can be further distinguished when even governments of developed countries such as the UK feel threatened by the influence of twitter as a social media. More than explore the different situations that produce the censoring of twitter and what makes governments censor social media, I wish to expand on what makes twitter so undoubtedly fearful to oppressive governments and why they feel the need of censoring it. I will also explore the trends that present in each country regarding their censorship policies and how they relate with the censoring of twitter. Through my paper I intend to attract people that feel passionate about politics, justice, media and human rights. I hope to convince them of the relation of social media censorship specifically twitter and oppressive governments. And I wish to convey a new view of social media that not only regards itself as every media in the world but rather focuses on one media such as twitter that although presents itself in our every day lives, it can produce political and social revolutions and spark the attention of leaders around the world.