Censorship in our Society


This year, in particular, has seemed to evoked a certain kind of sensitivity in our society. The American society is one that hyper focuses on the concept of freedom as one of the primary founding ideals of this country - for this to be a place of free speech, press, religion, and assembly. 

It is up to society as a whole to uphold and carry on this constitutional tradition. In this modern era, advancements in technology and the social media platforms that have ensued from them are what we would expect people to use as tools to better express their views in way that is both dignified and respectful. A lot of people have used these powerful tools in counterproductive ways for harm while corporate leaders of these platforms take it upon themselves to remove these apps from society’s grasp so that there are no more personal playgrounds for debate, to most of the time appeal to a certain extremist political agenda. 

A primary example of this type of groupthink is when Parler, an integrative social media platform for those who are more right-winged, politically speaking, was shut down this past January on account of people accusing it of promoting violence after the horrific events that took place at the Capitol that month. People need to understand that this absolutely infringes upon society’s freedom of speech. People who have more of a conservative political background cannot post anything concerning their political party due to fear of harassment and arguments that will most likely lead nowhere. 

Parler offered a safe haven, in a sense, for those that wanted to have more of a productive societal discussion or for those who did support the Trump campaign and would have gotten shut down on other multimedia sites. To prevent people from accessing the app is censorship in its rawest form and it completely contradicts all of the values were founded upon. We, as a society, have to learn to embrace platforms that promote political diversity with an open mind and a strong yearning for enlightenment. 

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