Big Question

Media Censorship 

   https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/the-problem-with-censoring-political-speech-online-including-trumps/

     

    What makes America so great? Everyone I meet seems to believe we live in this "Go Freedom" country that allows citizens to have free will. What if it was in fact, the opposite and as time progresses, we start to see our first Amendment slowly be censored. The American Dream over the years has been heavily propagandized, with their own citizens not being aware that their rights are slowly being taken away. Why exactly is the government censoring what stories can and cant be put on social media, even going as far as to block users for simply speaking their mind, even if it upsets the government. Social Media Censorship is becoming a big problem in America, completely violating Americans first Amendment rights for simply having an opinion. Today, questions will be answered, Where did Media censorship start, and should Americans fear for the future of their rights.

    

   The government has been censoring people for years, but the most notable instance was when former President Donald Trump was removed from social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram. These platforms said it was because they didn't want to promote Trump's "hateful messages" on their platform. While most liberals were satisfied with social media platforms "shushing the big baby", many other Americans were concerned with just how much power these socially elite companies hold. The censorship didn't just stop at former President, other reports came out of normal citizens being banned due to opinions that went against the government. While many were outraged, demanding these companies be sued for violating their first amendment, it is true that the government cannot force these platforms to allow all forms of speech, however many believe that social media should stay away from political censorship.

American citizens are entitled to freedom of speech and press. With the availability of the internet, the process for information has dramatically increased, now being able to reach millions of people by a simple click of a button. What if historical figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had access to the internet, would he have been able to have a greater impact on the Civil Rights Movement?

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the Civil Rights strongest advocates, who shared peaceful ideologies when it came to protesting. During the Civil Rights, television had started to progress, and newspapers were still the most popular way of relaying political news and information. King help many speeches, however with the access of the internet, he could've revolutionised how the Civil Rights was ran. During events such as the Montgomery Boycott and the March on Washington, King could've informed and reached out to thousands of more citizens, asking for support.

While blogging and the internet are such powerful and useful ways for Americans to express their opinions on topics, we've started to see the government violate our first amendment rights by censoring people whenever the government doesn't agree with their opinion. Is it right for the government to weaken one of us citizens most powerful rights? If powerful advocates such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had availability to speak his mind on a more broader scale such as blogging on the internet, the whole Civil Rights Era would've been even more impactful to our history.