Group Discussion

     I got much more into the class discussion about our various topics this week.  I started to be able to connect the dots between peoples topics more and more.  I found in interesting to compare the ways that different countries and groups have used the internet to their advantage.  I personally studied the Taliban and how they use social media as a propaganda tool to promote themselves while some countries, specifically China, block most social media sites.  I think it would be interesting to see China use social media to promote themselves to citizens outside their own country while preventing their own citizens from accessing such sites.  Another interesting thing we talked about was the revolution in Egypt.  It surprised me that a country can have that much control over internet and cell phone use.  I always thought of those as two mostly private industries that the government wouldn't be able to just shut down.  These services may be less private in countries like Egypt, or perhaps I simply do not understand how much influence our government has over such services.