The public sphere must first allow for the formation of public opinion (Habermas, 1989). In this regard, social media seems to fulfill this requirement – it easily facilitates discussions between individuals, even when they are geographically separated (Edosomwan, Prakasan, Kouame, Watson & Seymour, 2011). While user experiences differ (i.e. the Twitter interface is different from the Facebook interface), every social media platform makes it relatively easy for users to exchange thoughts and opinions (usually with just a few taps on the keyboard and a click of a button) with hundreds or even thousands of other individuals. The ease of sharing personal opinions and exchanging ideas has encouraged the world of social media to become a participatory …show more content…
First off, social media is mostly only accessible to Western countries. Countries such as China, North Korea, Cuba, and Turkey all have restricted access to certain websites, and banned access to others (Iosifidis, 2011; Fuchs, 2014). In China, domestic equivalents – Weibo, Baidu, Renren, Taobao, etc. – of popular social media websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have been set up so that online interactions and information can be more controlled and monitored by the state (Iosifidis, 2011). There have also been, at times, concerns about censorship of social media in Western countries. After the September 11th, 2011 attacks on the United States, panic brought about the quick passing of the Patriot Act, which gave the United States government and law enforcement greater surveillance and investigation powers. Unchecked power to search through personal Internet usage and private social media accounts (without warning or need of a warrant) allowed the United States government to become a “big brother” (ACLU, 2015). Many individuals living in the United States became fearful of posting certain opinions on social media, knowing that the government was always watching (Cohen, 2012). While not a direct censorship, this subtle threat was a restriction on the freedom of speech of many during that