Eight Values of Free Expression (3)

In reflection of the eight values of free expression, I resonate most with the "Protect Dissent" theory. This value notes the importance of Government criticism and minority views. I find these values extremely important to our democracy and community building. It is crucial we are allowed to share our opinions, even when they are not popular, in order to educate and advocate. Additionally, the right to criticize our Government is a check on the federal government in protecting our first amendment right.We should be allowed to share our opinions on the actions of our government and hold them accountable for unjust regulations. 

While I believe unpopular speech protections are important, I believe the most important theory is "Participation in Self-Government". Informed voting is a value I hold to the highest importance. It is crucial voters are not voting on party lines. It is our civic duty to be an informed voter and participate in federal, state, and local elections. This ensures majority rule is a true majority, and not based on party rule. I have personally interacted with many students my age who do not vote, or vote along their parents party, due to lack of informing themselves on our political environment. I believe we should encourage all citizens to be informed and active voters in our community. 

In modern day society I notice the "Promote Tolerance" theory the most, especially on social media. This idea extends protections to speech that may be seen as "offensive" or "hateful" in order to build tolerance in our communities. While hate speech is protected by the first amendment, I personally believe some of this speech does not promote tolerance. Some speech can simply be offensive for the purpose of disrespecting other citizens; for example, racial slurs, religious discrimination, misogyny, etc. While yes, these can be protected by our first amendment, this speech is targeted to simply discriminate against minority communities. 

Social Media has given many individuals a platform to share their opinions. This allows citizens a widespread format to connect with other like-minded individuals, create forums and accounts to share ideas, and interact with those of differing opinions. While this influence can be good, it can also promote targeted hate speech, like I mentioned previously. Social media allows for hateful comments, usually targeted broadly towards minority communities, to be shared widely. This allows hate speech to reach many individuals in one minority community. With many platforms allowing responses on their site, communities may respond back with equally offensive and targeted speech that can be harmful to those in a community, but not directly tied to the post. Overall, social media has become a great way to connect with others, but also a way to discriminate widely and influence others to participate. 

Not only does social media promote hate speech, it also promotes the "wildfire" spread of misinformation. The speech theory of "Check on Governmental Power" states that "freedom of the press enables citizens to learn about abuses of power...". This would allow for voters to take action during election years by voting against candidates promoting abuse of power. Further, this would be a check on the government, restraining abuse of power. While this idea is important, the introduction of social media allows for biased and falsified information to influence voters.