Bryan Li (10) | STAFF REPORTER
Is there such a thing as freedom of speech? For years, people of democratic states have had the ability to be able to express their thoughts, opinions, and views.
However, with the rise of banning and removing accounts of certain controversial figures on various popular social media apps, like Instagram and Twitter, is free speech really a right we have, or is it a thing in the past that we will never see again?
Merriam Webster dictionary describes freedom of speech as, “the legal right to express one’s opinion freely”.
Many democratic countries pride themselves on the fact that they have freedom of speech in their country, and also use it as an argument point when criticising communist countries.
When talking about the brazen attack against Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home, President Biden states,““Freedom is not free; it requires constant vigilance”. This speaks truth to the perception of free speech, averring that free speech is something that can be dangerous or difficult when used in a negative light.
This has been showcased through the various deletions and suspensions of the various social media accounts of controversial figures, like former US President Donald Trump. After the insurrection of the US Capitol on January 6th, many social media platforms decided to remove his account for infraction of human rights: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, and Twitter.
Given that many people heavily rely on social media to express their ideas, these platforms are an avenue for people to freely express themselves. However, this power may be taken away at any moment; free speech may be a myth rather than a reality. Back then, people would go on live television and express their thoughts for all watching the television could see. Now, if one were to express your thoughts on social media, they may run the risk of being muted and blocked virtually.
More “live” television shows are transitioning to a mixture of both live and pre-recorded segments, making it easier for big networks and studios to remove what a certain person said if they felt that it was not appropriate. For example, popular entertainment talk show LIVE with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest have been moving to move pre-recorded segments, even having one episode of the week pre-recorded.
With the rise of social media and live television being censored, free speech is more of a myth than a reality. However, this does not imply that censorship is bad. Following the censorship of President Trump’s accounts, his supporters no longer engaged in any other horrific acts similarto that of the January 6th riot.
Freedom of speech is truly a complicated subject where freedom was not to the same level as it was the past years. However, censorship is applicable in some extreme cases of social injustice, such as those scenarios ensued by President Trump.
Free speech all depends on the scenario and the extremeness that applies to each scenario.
