We all have our own values in life and tend to live to the fullest that we feel are important. Free expression is an important right we as American citizens have that many across the globe do not have. The eight values of free expression are a marketplace of ideas, participation in self-government, stable change, individual self-fulfillment, check on governmental power, promote tolerance, promote innovation, and protect dissent. These are all essential values we should cherish, but the one I fulfill most days is the pursuit of individual self-fulfillment. Every day we do things that we know will make us happy. An example of that could be hanging out with friends, achieving a good grade on an assignment, or watching a sports game. These individual self values are essential and are considered heavily in lifestyle choices. When looking over the eight values of free expression I self-fulfillment is the value I live daily, but the one that is probably the most important is the check on governmental powers. We as a nation are built on our constitutional rights, and my right to free expression is protected by it. We as a country always need to keep our government officials in check to ensure these rights remain the same.
As stated in the first paragraph, free expression is what makes the United States one of the most unique and protective countries when it comes to free expression. Our right to free speech is one of the strongest ] individual rights we have, although recently, some believe that censorship is needed. We've seen significant tech companies begin their own censorship campaigns and become the ones to determine what can and cannot be said on their platforms. Tech companies taking control of what can and can't be said is a significant shift in power away from the user. Before, social media was a place to express yourself and connect with others of like-minded opinions. Social media has now been turned into a site where you have to be careful what you say in fear of being banned or having the post removed. This isn't an issue for the vast majority of users, but for the outspoken ones, this tends to be an issue.
For our second EOTO project, I am presenting the Spiral of Silence theory. The theory suggests that the outspoken members of social media platforms tend to self-regulate themselves in fear of repercussions. The theory itself tends to be when the group opinion silences you into suppressing your views, which can occur when social media companies do it to you. I have seen on TikTok, especially videos being taken down due to a breach of community guidelines. The videos can be very harmless videos, such as one where someone was talking about their career as an airline pilot, but the video was reported. Giving people the ability to report a video they don't agree with and most likely have it taken down is a dangerous precedent. As we start to see the social media companies continue to clamp down on censorship of their apps, I believe users will become more aware to self-censor themselves to avoid being removed from the platform.
Below is the Spiral of Silence theory diagram that explains someone's willingness to speak out on the top. As they become more aware that they are in the minority opinion and fear of social isolation is likely their opinions begin to get pushed to the bottom of the cone away from the prevailing public opinion.
One of the most concerning censorship examples of free expression from social media I have ever seen was the ban of a sitting president. After the attack on the Capitol building by rioters, we saw a ban of the 45th president, Donald Trump, from every known platform for life. This obviously was a shocking move for some but for others, they thrilled to see his use of Twitter stopped through censorship for others. Many of these people didn't agree with his political views, and since he was so decisive, they believed he needed to be removed. Questions like these need to be asked: Who determines who will be banned? Who determines what is and isn't true from a multi-faceted issue? If you censor something that is disputed, isn't there some truth?
The promotion of a marketplace of ideas, one of the eight free expressions, on a social media platform is not existent anymore. Many Americans want to see more censorship to protect their own feelings, so they aren't offended. Many do not understand the first amendment and believe people can't say things if they don't agree. As we move towards a more censored America, I am concerned that there will be pushes to change parts of the first amendment to protect the censorship movement.
Overall, I am concerned about the direction we are moving, especially on social networking platforms. We as a country were built of free expression, such as the eight listed in my opening paragraph. We need to work together to prevent the spiral of silence theory from occurring and the increase in censorship. We need to look at the countries abroad that have heavy censorship, such as China, Russia, North Korea, and others. We despise these countries for factors such as human rights, dictatorship governments, and oppressed citizens. These issues sprout from not being able to speak out and push back against these inhumane rules. The citizens have no platform to revolt, which is why the right to free speech is so important to protecting our own freedoms.
No comments:
Post a Comment