The Epicenter Of Community: Digital Discourse In the Age of Political Censorship
The Internet has gone through a myriad of transformations since the dawning of the 21st century. In just 25 years, the Internet went from being solely a search engine with a few chat room communities to now a social and political device used to influence human behavior, with the onset of streaming services, artificial intelligence, and new social apps being born every second. But what has been a recurring theme has been the creation of community.
Safety Online and Censorship
Information is at the epicenter of community. Awareness of policies, procedures, current events, and future impact make up the cultural, social, and emotional DNA of any community brought together through the digital age. At a time when more information is readily available and more revisable than ever, digital communities are under attack and are in danger of becoming perpetually disenfranchised.
Writer Betsy Reed, in her 2025 article for The Guardian, “The Guardian View on Online Safety: Don’t Let Trump Dictate the Terms of Debate”, writes, “There is a legitimate debate to be had about the boundary between safety online and censorship…The Trump administration defines freedom of speech as the right to propagandise for the president. Any effort to correct willful misinformation or conduct public discourse on a foundation of verifiable fact is liable to be denounced as censorship.”
Controversial Online Discourse
There is no doubt that the events surrounding the Trump Administration have created some controversial online discourse. As journalists and news outlets continue to profile the ongoing efforts, online communities continue to carve out a rhetoric ecosystem that will be studied and dissected by communication scholars to come. Digital activism has been growing steadily since the early 2010s and has turned a corner in terms of effectiveness with real time impact The recent media circus surrounding Trump and Elon Musk and the outpour of outrage from social media followers is a prime example.
Moreover, the expansion of the Internet and its impact on society and culture is not slowing down. Individuals have more insight into information and the rollout of ideas than ever have before and at a time where cybersecurity mechanisms are also under scrutiny with the onslaught of data breaches and information leaks, more will be seen as to how information will be better protected and curated.
Furthermore, internet communities are becoming the battlegrounds of change. Digital dialogue in the face of impending political censorship continues to be a threat to the voice of the American public.
