Difference between revisions of "Freedom of Expression"
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How far can one go with free speech? Lately, alt-right groups have become more prominent on social media. Common knowledge shows that this group is connected to hate speech and tends to make inappropriate remarks centered around racism and sexism. Yet, there was still Twitter accounts up for white nationalists like David Duke [link these]. Though Duke is known to spread hate speech, his right to have an account and tweet is a result of freedom of expression and he cannot be suspended unless his words go against terms and conditions. Twitter has specifically been in trouble for [https://mashable.com/article/seth-rogen-twitter-jack-verified-white-supremacists/#MOdY1LmgqqqD verifying accounts of white nationalists.] | How far can one go with free speech? Lately, alt-right groups have become more prominent on social media. Common knowledge shows that this group is connected to hate speech and tends to make inappropriate remarks centered around racism and sexism. Yet, there was still Twitter accounts up for white nationalists like David Duke [link these]. Though Duke is known to spread hate speech, his right to have an account and tweet is a result of freedom of expression and he cannot be suspended unless his words go against terms and conditions. Twitter has specifically been in trouble for [https://mashable.com/article/seth-rogen-twitter-jack-verified-white-supremacists/#MOdY1LmgqqqD verifying accounts of white nationalists.] | ||
==Ethics and Freedom of Expression== | ==Ethics and Freedom of Expression== | ||
| − | [[File:Fake-news.jpg|thumbnail| | + | [[File:Fake-news.jpg|thumbnail|left|Credit: Tim Bajarin, PC Magazine]] |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 01:13, 14 March 2019
Freedom of expression is a concept that many remember from United States history and the creation of the Constitution. Our First Amendment allows the freedom of speech, press, and assembly. As technology advances, the topic around freedom of expression has evolved; what counts as free speech and what crosses the line into hate speech? The rise of social media has also brought different terms and conditions, like Twitter’s, to the forefront and caused controversy as to what material should be restricted or not. Freedom of expression has also been used as a loophole for cyberbullying and causes users to debate whether or not to report content.
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Politics and Free Speech
Issues revolving around freedom of expression and hate speech arose during the 2016 election. The extremism of this election created a drastic polarization of both political parties in the United States. As Misha Teplitskiy and Feng Shi describe in “The Wisdom of Polarized Crowds,” people have used their freedom of expression in the form of politics even if the content is not related to political climate [1] When looking through social media platforms, specifically Facebook and Twitter, it is inevitable to not find a political argument taking place. Even if politics are uncomfortable to talk about, people have the right to post due to their right to free speech.
The 2016 election is a situation where extreme polarization occurred with both sides voicing their strong opinions. With the racist remarks made by Donald Trump, the question arose of what deserves to be censored or not. The term “liberal snowflake” was born as those on the left pointed out the inappropriate comments that should not be said while Republicans stood behind this idea of freedom of expression. This brings up the controversy of what speech should be restricted versus pass as freedom of expression.
Social Media Terms & Conditions
How far can one go with free speech? Lately, alt-right groups have become more prominent on social media. Common knowledge shows that this group is connected to hate speech and tends to make inappropriate remarks centered around racism and sexism. Yet, there was still Twitter accounts up for white nationalists like David Duke [link these]. Though Duke is known to spread hate speech, his right to have an account and tweet is a result of freedom of expression and he cannot be suspended unless his words go against terms and conditions. Twitter has specifically been in trouble for verifying accounts of white nationalists.
Ethics and Freedom of Expression
References
- ↑ Teplitskiy and Shi (2018). The Wisdom of Polarized Crowds.
