The Value Behind Freedom of Expression
Where would our society be if we didn't have the ability to state and express our thoughts, ideas, or opinions? Freedom of expression is an essential aspect to society that allows for individuality to be free from government censorship. We as a society are able to express our own thoughts, ideas, and personal beliefs to form our own opinions about important public issues. There are eight main values of free expression. As a college student, there are certain values that personally resonate with me more than others.
I personally believe that our society has a censorship problem. If someone doesn't agree with you, it's as if they don't want your viewpoint to be heard at all. Unfortunately, our society today has become very divided. We are living in a time of a significant amount of racial tension and health tension among the vaccinated and unvaccinated. I think people forget that people will always have an alternative viewpoint, but you must always remain respectful. If we all got along and agreed with each other, the world would be a very boring place to live in.
Promote Innovation
The value of free expression that resonates with me most is to promote innovation. As a college student, I am constantly trying to make changes in society to help create a stronger sense of equality. Personally, I feel that our society is too divided and has a significant amount of tension between groups depending on aspects such as race and political affiliation. I feel that segregation among groups involving these aspects are a problem in society. Allowing a value of free expression to promote innovation is very beneficial to society, because it allows for people to stand up and make a positive difference. Our society is always changing, and this is mainly done through promoting innovation and self expression.
Stable Change
Stable change is a very important value of freedom of expression that I find to be important and in action today. Our society is currently engaging in a significant amount of disagreement and butting heads. Our society has also struggled recently with acts of violence and violent protesting. Stable change allows for underrepresented citizens to vent and express their own thoughts and opinions. It is fair to say that there are specific groups of people in society who are being treated differently. Under stable change, these groups have the right to express how they feel, which in turn benefits the government to change to make corrective actions. I see a connection between stable change and promoting innovation, since a stable change will lead to innovation due to people expressing corrective actions that need to be made.
Social Media’s Influence on Free Expression
Social media has a significant influence on the valves of free expression. For starters, the first amendment does not protect free speech on private social media platforms. In other words, any statement made by a social media user on a privately owned social media platform can be removed or restricted. A strong example of this concept is Twitter, a privately owned social media platform that is known for censoring their users through removing and restricting publicly made statements.
On the other hand, social media acts as a boost of confidence for some individuals. Many people who have strong thoughts and opinions feel as if they can’t express themselves. Social media can protect an individual’s identity and allow for them to express their thoughts and opinions unanimously. There is a strong connection between social media and the individual self-fulfillment theory. This theory allows for individuals to express themselves freely in order to establish and create their own ideas. Social media provides a safe outlet for individuals to fulfill this concept for those who prefer to remain out of the physical public eye. In other words, people can “hide behind a screen” to express their ideas and opinions.
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