Blog Post #3

The Power of Free Speech in the Digital Age

The First Amendment is a huge part of our democracy, which helps protect our rights to speech and expression. Out of the eight values of free expression, there are three that resonate the most with me and what I feel is very present in today's society. Those three are Marketplace of Ideas, Check on Governmental Power, and Protect Dissent. I believe that these are the most prevalent in the world we are living in today, with social media being a very prominent part of society, especially in younger generations. I believe that these values are even more important now than they have been in the past.

Marketplace of Ideas

The Marketplace of Ideas is believing that different ideas are allowed to compete, but no matter how long this may take, the truth will inevitably win. With social media being a prominent source of communication, there are a lot of different ideas and opinions being shared on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Information is being spread around so much faster than it used to, and it sparks a lot of discussion and challenges on current events.

One example is during the pandemic, when there was a lot of false information being spread about the vaccine online. This was quickly shut down by experts who then came out with much more accurate facts. While misinformation will always be an issue in this world, specifically on social media, open discussions can help people learn and understand to gain a better understanding of where the truth lies.

With this being said, oftentimes, social media creates something called an echo chamber, which is essentially when the social media platform you are on drives the content you are seeing based on your specific beliefs and opinions, reinforcing them even more. With this being taken into account, it makes it much harder to be able to see or hear other people’s views on certain topics. Even though these challenges will remain, I think it’s important that free speech allows truth to emerge.

Keeping the Government Accountable

Checking government power is essentially the idea that free speech will allow corruption and wrongdoing to be exposed. Investigative journalism in the past has been a powerful tool in this situation and has helped uncover a plethora of major scandals, one example being Watergate . In today's world, social media helps hold our leaders accountable.

Another example is viral videos and citizen journalism—everyday people exposing violations of human rights worldwide via media, capturing something they saw, and choosing to record it to raise awareness of that particular issue. This is why platforms such as X, TikTok, and Instagram are all so important in this world because they give citizens worldwide a chance to use their voices in ways they never thought possible. Without social media, it would be extremely hard to hold the government accountable. Without that ability to challenge them, our democracy would see a drastic change for the worse.

The Right to Dissent

Protecting the right to dissent means making sure people can speak out against the government or the majority. The reason why this is so important is that it tends to lead to change for the better. A prime example of this topic is the Civil Rights Movement and how recent protests have gained a lot of traction because of people who chose to speak out.

If it weren’t for social media, a lot of these voices would not be heard. Therefore, it would be hard for movements to grow if the people behind them weren’t being heard. If people weren’t allowed to speak up and stand for what they believe in without the chance of being heard by the government, there would be so many things that would not have changed in this world, and a lot of important matters wouldn’t have even been discussed.

Final Thoughts

All of these values truly show why free speech is so important, but it’s also a good reminder that we need to hold ourselves accountable and do our duty as American citizens who have this right. With this being said, we have no excuse not to use our free speech to our advantage, as the digital world has made it so much more convenient for us to use our voices, stand up for what we believe in, and never stop learning about our country, rights, and opportunities we may have in this world.

Even with the hardships we may face along the way, as our world is not perfect and never will be, we can still do our part to make it better by not being afraid to challenge authority, support open discussions, and hold leaders accountable. The First Amendment is crucial and always has been, and now more than ever, people need to hear that free speech is so much more than a right—it’s something that is cherished and must be protected to keep our society balanced and informed.