Open AccessCancelling, Counter-speech and Censorship
Author(s) -
Ada Wright
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
political science undergraduate review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2562-1289
pISSN - 2562-1270
DOI - 10.29173/psur294
Subject(s) - censorship , civil liberties , social media , freedom of expression , expression (computer science) , action (physics) , political science , public relations , first amendment , internet privacy , sociology , law , computer science , politics , human rights , physics , supreme court , quantum mechanics , programming language
Since the post-2016 period, the role of social media as a public utility and a platform for expression has drawn increased attention, debate, and - for some - ultimately concern. This has become especially true regarding its role in both facilitating and yet also restricting expression in online communities. While social media has been oft turned towards as a vehicle for social action, this paper raises simultaneous concerns still developing regarding its use for doing so. Ultimately, social media, while a viable tool for social change, also presents distinct and developing concerns for our civil liberties particullarly in an age dominated by online algorithms, private regulation of expression, and an increasingly virulent era of 'cancel culture'.