In Africa, one of the last regions on Earth where democracy still has not fully penetrated, the dictatorial rule of many governments is often at threat due to protests and other organizations gaining traction via the internet and social media. One of the most notable examples of this is Arab Spring, in which citizens across the Arab world were able to gain massive traction in protests with social media – when despotic governments in Africa saw this, they knew that they had to prevent protests from getting out of control in their own country, and reacted by establishing blanket bans on internet from time to time whenever anti government sentiment rose, or when censorship became necessary. Interestingly, while many developed European nations are now starting to consider internet access as a human right, African nations often disagree, stating that “Internet is not water, internet is not air”. This has far reaching effects in not only how their people view their government, but in how other countries view African nations and how their democratization will progress. When a nation is unable to establish rule of law or provide basic free speech rights for their populace, there is no chance of democratization- furthermore, it is becoming more and more apparent that these countries blocking internet is only aggravating the issue, making civilians resentful and more willing to organize in more traditional methods. This rampant use of such a blunt tool to oppress people also has large effects on Africa’s economy and development, as more and more of the world’s business, networking, and economy is done through the web – Africa is already struggling to meet its education demands, and often turns to online education to fill the gaps, like in Senegal, where organizations offer technological education to underprivileged youths. While the less democratic regimes continue to desperately try to hold onto power with heavy handed tactics, they are just bringing their own downfall quicker by damaging their economies, good faith with the people, and the belief in the electoral process that makes democracy possible at all.
