The Positive and Negative Effects of Freedom of Expression within the Social Media in the U.K.Introduction
In essence, social media in the UK provides an amazing platform for people to freely express their views, share information, and interact. Indeed, as McGoldrick (2013, p. 49) observes, “Facebook and other internet-based social networking sites (SNSs) have revolutionized modern communications.” Some of the most popular social media platforms in the country include, but that are not limited to, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. It is important to note that unlike in the physical world where relations between people are governed by various social rules and etiquette standards, relations on social media tend to present a limitless and unrestricting facade. In recent times, some countries have attempted to limit the way people relate on social media – even closely monitoring content in an attempt to ensure that freedom of expression in social media is confined within some predetermined limits. In some quarters, the said attempts have been resisted and condemned. It should be noted, from the onset, that in the U.K., like is the case in so many other developed societies, physical confrontations are in essence the basis on which hate speech law is founded. However, in the modern world in which we live, cyberspace has become yet another ‘living space’ parallel to the physical world. This text concerns itself with the positive as well as negative effects of freedom of expression within the social media in the United Kingdom. A common stance will thereafter be adopted.
Discussion
Part 1
There are a wide range of benefits that would accrue on various fronts, thanks to the enhancement of freedom of expression within the social media in the U.K. These will be highlighted in this section. Indeed, as an article in ICCPR points out, “‘everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice” (Coe 2015, p. 4). The UK is a signatory to ICCPR.
Freedom of expression within the social media in the U.K. plays an important social role of promoting communication amongst people. In the words of Bernal (2014, p. 269), “…much of the current use of the internet relates to the expression of ideas.” In this case, every member of the society is offered a platform to express him or herself without reservation. To begin with, most people happen to have weaknesses that limit their ability to communicate effectively in physical social settings. These weaknesses include, but they are not limited to, shyness, self-consciousness, nervousness, etc. The relevance of social media when it comes to advancing such citizens in U.K. a platform where they can express their political and social views without the fear of ‘the crowd’ cannot be overstated. Next, social media is a great place for people to freely exchange ideas. In essence, physical social interactions have a wide range of limiting factors that limit the ability of people to effectively interact. These include cost and distance. Interactions on social media are inherently cheap and geographical distance is not really an issue as the advent of the internet has made communication instantaneous. Towards this end, people can exchange ideas on a wide range of areas and benefit from each other’s knowledge, expertise, and knowhow. Issues of interest may include politics, social, and health concerns, etc. Thanks to freedom of expression on social media, these ideas can be shared freely without fear of reprisal. Lastly, freedom of expression in social media effectively levels the playing field. It is important to note that all a person needs to access social media...
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