To what extent has social media impacted freedom of speech?

To what extent has social media impacted freedom of speech?

Tom Smothers said: “Freedom of expression and freedom of speech aren't really important unless they're heard. The freedom of hearing is as important as the freedom of speaking.” For many, and especially among the young generation, social media has become the new public sphere. Indeed, social media are online tools of communication, which give the ability to talk and share instantly with others all around the world. It is the place where they have the power and the freedom to express their opinion without censorship, restrictions or fear of repression.

Social media is the only media where freedom of speech still truly exists.

Everyone has, at least one, heard of Facebook or Twitter. Social media has become a part of everyday life for millions of people around the world. They are everywhere: on our cell phones and computers, they are subject to discussion in school playgrounds and on televised debates… But more than mere tools of diversion, they have become a media in its full right. Social media is the media where everyone can express itself and be heard. People do not need to have reached a certain social status or to be famous to be heard. These millions of people who share their opinions and their views on social media have the feeling that they can have an impact. Indeed, traditional media are restrictive. People we see on television or hear on the radio are specialists, politicians, celebrities… By only letting well-known people share their opinions, they have, in a way, silenced the average man. And yet, they represent a majority of the population and they feel disconnected and even rejected by traditional media. These people have found, through social media, a way to have a voice. Facebook and Twitter, for instance, have even made of this idea their motto.

Social media also became very popular because people can talk about everything, instantly and without restrictions. In this sense, it has become the symbol of freedom of expression. For example, the Arab Spring of 2011 was organized on social media because the population knew it was the only media that was not controlled by governmental authorities. Indeed, traditional media were in the government’s pay and only broadcasted news favorable towards them. Moreover, a lot of people have stopped to believe in traditional media due to numerous scandals in the media world over the past few years. According to them, social media is the only way to access true content, a place where politicians cannot interfere in their interactions.

Social media has even become the favorite media of few politicians who think that traditional media are corrupted. For example, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, regularly accuses television channels and newspapers of “fake news”. That is why he has chosen to express his political views and projects on Twitter.

In a decade, social media has become a fully-fledged media where everyone has the power to express themselves. We can even say that social media are now the only media where there is still a true freedom of speech. Indeed, everyone, regardless of who they are can express himself without being afraid of censorship.

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