Freedom Of Speech: What Is Freedom Of Speech?

What is Freedom of Speech? Freedom of Speech is “the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against liable, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc.” (Dictionary). This means that citizens are protected under the First Amendment and have the right to express their opinion without the government interfering as long as the act is lawful. Historical, as well as modern events show how society misuses freedom of speech.
For instance, an example of a group that uses the First Amendment to express their opinion is Westboro Baptist Church. Members of this Church are allowed to picket at events and use controversial sayings because they are under protection of the First Amendment. …show more content…
“Although social-media companies have rules for managing individual speech online, the outcome could affect the leeway people have to express themselves, even darkly and violently, on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other sites” ( Bravin). Many people post threats online thinking they won’t get in trouble because they are protected under the First Amendment. “Facebook says that “we remove content and may escalate to law enforcement when we perceive a genuine risk of physical harm or a direct threat to public safety…” (Bravin). Online you may see something that is disturbing and offending to you but may not meet the policies for them to remove it from their site. One way that people abuse freedom of speech is by spreading rumors. Most people think since they’re saying rude things it’s okay. People think they won’t get in trouble because they have the right to freedom of speech. Many people often “post a picture without someone’s permission on a public Facebook profile or page” (Cox). This can lead to a lot of conflict. Many people don’t want their picture to be posted without their permission. This is abusing that right to the First Amendment. Another way people do this in Social Media is blogging. People think that they can have a blog and just type cruel and hurtful things about people and no one will ever know about it. Anything you put on Social Media will always trace back to you. In the recent years …show more content…
Her publicly announcing her “stance on “fat people” could have dangerous consequences” (Falzone). She is a very well-known you tuber and by her posting this video it has went viral and caused her to get a lot of hate from everyone. These videos caused her to lose her job as a you tuber. By her posting this it was super disrespectful and offensive to many people. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion but by her posting this online for everyone to see was very wrong. Her body shaming and posting online offended a lot of people and cause many people to despise her. This goes back to the issue about people using their social media to speak their mind. It is a very controversial issue in today’s society. To a certain extent you can say your opinions online about certain issues. But, when you are putting down other people and make fun of them that’s when there is a very big issue. She stated “… she doesn 't see her video as bullying, or, in fact, offensive in any way” (Friedman). She may not personally see it as offensive but after she posted it and it went viral with hate. She should have had the decency to delete it after she saw all of the conflict it had caused. People need to understand that none can take away anyone’s opinion but you should not be able to just post it or say it if it causes such controversy. That is how people abuse the right of freedom of speech. This