Censorship: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Increasingly, we spend more and more time online. Our digital lives are becoming inevitably intertwined with our real ones, and important discussions that once took place in physical auditoriums and on stages are now happening in a digital town square where anyone anywhere can voice their opinions.
While this newfound freedom to express ideas is a great way to reach new audiences and catalyze change, it can also be a slippery slope toward censorship and an infringement of the rights we fought so hard for. While it’s important to filter out fake or misleading information that can potentially be extremely harmful, where do we draw the line with censorship?
We’ll dive into all aspects of censorship online, including the good, the bad, and the ugly, and take a closer look at how platforms like X play a central role in controlling what we see – or don’t see – online.
Censorship: Protecting Users
When you consider the prominence of the digital world and the speed at which ideas circulate online, it’s important to think about how we filter the real news from one that is completely fabricated. With so many digital tools available to people all over the world, it’s easier than ever to create content that looks real but isn’t. This quick creation of false information poses a threat to users everywhere and brings to light an important question: who is in charge of protecting digital users from fake news?
This was an especially contentious topic during the COVID-19 pandemic, when what seemed like facts and scientific research were disseminated widely across the digital landscape without the appropriate fact-checking and research historically behind published scientific studies. While some platforms like Facebook and Instagram tried to fight fake news by marking problematic posts as such, the issue remained prevalent – and still is today.
On one hand, censorship is an important shield for vulnerable audiences that are susceptible to psychological or physical harm from what they see online. For example, censoring graphic or violent content helps protect minors online. Censorship also plays a key role in stopping the propagation of misinformation or fake news. Keeping people from doing harm online by censoring their profiles helps create a safer, more trustworthy internet – but where do we draw the line?
Censorship: Suppressing Free Speech
One of the more complex aspects of online censorship is how it can infringe on free speech rights by restricting the expression of someone’s opinions and perspectives. This becomes especially problematic when users are censored for posting personal opinions that differ from the owners of the platforms.
One example of this is X, where several people have been kicked off the platform for stating their own opinions that differ from those of X owner, Elon Musk. The list of censored profiles includes some of my own colleagues who were removed from the platform simply for posting opposing thoughts or ideas. While we discussed how censorship can be important in preventing the spread of harmful misinformation, it’s important to note how, on the other spectrum, it can be extremely dangerous to remove diverse opinions from the digital forum.
Censoring differing opinions can stifle legitimate conversations and discussions that would otherwise bring to light a diversity of perspectives and catalyze meaningful change. X’s role as our society’s digital town square gives it a unique, and powerful, responsibility to allow for rich dialogue and informative disagreement that can open minds and spur change where it’s most needed.
Many users get their information and the latest updates from X, and censoring differing viewpoints on the platform can be extremely harmful to how our society consumes and adapts to the news. A one-sided approach to information can quickly lead to a more controlled and censored media, especially as many tech moguls are taking over huge news sources and publications. Authority in these situations is often misused and can lead to exploitation for political or ideological purposes. What seems like a harmless case of canceling one user’s account actually becomes a slippery slope that can turn into an avalanche of suppression, control, and ultimately, silencing. In the future of a world like this, what was once an open place for everyone to come together and discuss ideas becomes a highly controlled, manipulated echo chamber where only one point of view is allowed.
If imagining this scenario sounds like reading a dystopian novel, you’re not far off. Critical thinking and societal change stem from having an open place where ideas can be freely expressed. Since the internet is a unique space where access and participation aren’t limited by physical or geographical boundaries, it’s one of the only places where we can do this – and as digital marketers and online users, we must fight to keep it this way.
Conclusion
Digital censorship is a complicated act that balances between protecting users from harmful content while also preserving the rights of free speech and expression. While responsible regulation is important to prevent the spread of misinformation, it’s also imperative that we, as a society, fight against abuse of authority and prevent a digital world where critical thinking and open dialogue are discouraged – and ultimately punished.
If you’re wondering how you can help fight the censorship of ideas and opinions online, here are ways to get involved:
Raise awareness in your community about censorship and its impact on free speech online
Support legal initiatives or NGOs that fight online censorship
Use and support open-source software or decentralized platforms
Together, we can make a difference and stop the digital censorship of ideas, opinions, and perspectives. Not doing so can lead to a very dangerous online world that will have very real repercussions for our real one.
