The idea of freedom of speech is one that is practiced in most of the countries that practices democracy. It is believed to be a fundamental human right that shouldn't be tampered with, not even by the government of the day. The concept is very important that it's enshrined in the constitution of these countries. It is simply the right of every citizen to an opinion of his or herself about anything and everything. To a layman, freedom of speech means you have the right to say whatever you want to whoever you want at any time.
The concept is ideal on paper, however in reality it is a vague idea. This is because irrespective of the fact that you have the freedom to speak, there's still a limit to what you can actually say, and there's no guarantee of freedom for you after speech. That doesn't sound so much like freedom to me, it sounds illusionary. I guess what they say about freedom being an illusion is true. With the advent of social media, there's been new channels of information dissemination. It has opened up new avenues for people to bare their minds on issues that are of importance to them and those that are not.
Obviously freedom of speech is a very important part of a democratic system of government. It gives the people the voice that they otherwise wouldn't have in other systems like autocracy and monarchy. It gives the people the freedom to communicate their grievances and expectations to the government and also constructively criticize it without being seen as committing felony. I guess that's why the like of Twitter and Facebook are getting so much patronage. People can just go there and say their mind on diverse issues without fear of any kind.
HOW IT AFFECTS US CURRENTLY
The first thing about how freedom of speech affects us is in its abuse. When abused, freedom of speech can turn to slander and libel, and these could be punishable under the laws if one is convicted in a court of law. These abuses are most rampant on social media and blogs, where everyone becomes unverified journalists.
These new channels are perhaps why people have abused the right and used it to throw tantrums on others without second thought. They've misused the opportunity to engage in smear campaigns against others, especially those who don't share their beliefs and opinions.
I remember some time ago when the Nigerian government banned the usage of Twitter because they claimed the platform was constantly used to promote false news and hate speech. This might not have been true but it highlights the possibilities that abound on social media with respect to the abuse of free speech.
The concept of freedom of speech has also been abused by the government. This is through the categorization of every dissenting voice against the government as hate speech and false news. This has led to witch hunting and silencing of innocent individuals who were just fulfilling their fundamental rights.
Freedom of speech might be a fundamental right, but the freedom after speech should be properly outlined and defined in order to eliminate the Grey area of the concept and bring clarity to it.
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