Being able to freely express our thoughts, as I am in this post, is a right I value deeply as an aspiring journalist. Several speech theories such as "The Marketplace of Ideas" and many other time-tested concepts can help to understand how our expression works in a world where we can type our thoughts in a matter of seconds to share with people around the world and place value in expressions of our own free speech. By learning how aspects of theories of speech help to shape your own identity, it can allow you to incite ideas in others, spark larger change, or even prompt change in government.
One theory I find particularly relevant that addresses “cancel culture” in our society is Steve Shiffrin’s idea of protecting dissent. This idea addresses how our nation’s values of free speech is not intended to be run by mob rule. While we value a majority rule in law making and voting, it is important that minority views are not silenced. Whether a company is voting on new business endeavors or candidates are debating their viewpoints during election year, the idea of majority rule and minority rights is a controversial topic in the media.
When former President, Donald Trump was permanently banned from the social media platform, Twitter, the company released a blog explaining their reasoning behind their decision. In the interest of public safety, Twitter claims that his account was used to incite violence which violated their terms of use agreements.
→ Read this blog post by accessing the link below ←
https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/suspension.html
In opposition to Congress’s actions prior to Trump’s transition out of office, he had tweeted addressing his followers that their voices could have a voice in the future for their conservative viewpoints. Twitter states their interpretation of his tweet as being an incitement of violence because days after the post, hundreds of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol while Congress was in session.
While Twitter’s decision to permanently ban Trump’s twitter account does not violate his First Amendment rights since the government was not the entity who restricted his speech, this silencing should draw concern from citizens of the “free world” no matter what political stance we have. If Twitter has the power to silence any user who has millions of active followers, they have the authority to silence anyone who’s voice violates their interpretation of terms and agreements.
→ Check out this website to see data on Trump’s Twitter account ←
https://www.socialbakers.com/statistics/twitter/profiles/detail/25073877-realdonaldtrump
Trump’s loss in the 2020 election shows the current political climate in our nation and that his views may not be the majority’s, but should that mean his opinions and others in agreement with his positions on political topics should not be heard? Referring back to the idea of Protecting Dissent, it is more important than ever to hold companies like Twitter accountable for abandoning principles of free speech that our inclusive melting pot of a nation was founded upon. Since a small number of companies own every news media outlet, and the prominence of a few social media platforms reduces the likeness of new platforms emerging, silencing of minority opinion happens more often than we know. Tediously developed algorithms and other tactics used especially by social media platforms can hinder our ability to see information contrary to the views of our frequently accessed sources which poses a threat to our ability to speak freely and without fear of being “canceled” for your speech: because at any point in time, your voice could be the next to be silenced.
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