12/14/2016
Freedom of speech is one of the core principles of a democracy, and it is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States. Adopted in 1791, the First Amendment, states that “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (Pilon, p. 13.) Our founding fathers have built a country where everybody can say, create, and do anything. The concept of creating a country and democracy like what the United States has is a miracle. However, most of the limitations can be found in the constitution where everyone no matter what color, nationality or religion you are can speak your mind. But what happens when someone else’s words lead to someone’s downfall, emotional distress, or even suicide.
In the age where social media is a phenomena according to Statista.com 78% of Americans have at least one social media profile. Sites like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube allow for all types of speech from comments, to poems, to short phrases. With that comes many negative consequences. For the last few years it …show more content…
That is what makes is hard to decide who and what is able to say what can be said and not said on social media. Speech is not black or white or bad type speech on one side and a good type of speech on the other. And does the constitution or political figures have the right to suppress speech on social media? Countries like China, Iran, and Turkey have blocked their citizens from being able to have social media as a way to keep away any problems. Although websites do have a “report” feature, giving users the opportunity to alert the admin about hateful speech but it also brings up a question. If someone says something hateful on social media and it is reported and nothing is done about it, who is to blame if something horrible
Freedom of speech is one of the core principles of a democracy, and it is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States. Adopted in 1791, the First Amendment, states that “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (Pilon, p. 13.) Our founding fathers have built a country where everybody can say, create, and do anything. The concept of creating a country and democracy like what the United States has is a miracle. However, most of the limitations can be found in the constitution where everyone no matter what color, nationality or religion you are can speak your mind. But what happens when someone else’s words lead to someone’s downfall, emotional distress, or even suicide.
In the age where social media is a phenomena according to Statista.com 78% of Americans have at least one social media profile. Sites like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube allow for all types of speech from comments, to poems, to short phrases. With that comes many negative consequences. For the last few years it …show more content…
That is what makes is hard to decide who and what is able to say what can be said and not said on social media. Speech is not black or white or bad type speech on one side and a good type of speech on the other. And does the constitution or political figures have the right to suppress speech on social media? Countries like China, Iran, and Turkey have blocked their citizens from being able to have social media as a way to keep away any problems. Although websites do have a “report” feature, giving users the opportunity to alert the admin about hateful speech but it also brings up a question. If someone says something hateful on social media and it is reported and nothing is done about it, who is to blame if something horrible