Introduction
In the video “We Need to Rethink Free Speech” by professor Graham, he explains how the digital environment is growing, and along with it cyberviolence is as well. In doing so he then states we may need to rethink or restrict free speech in order to help deal with this matter. My takeaway here is I see his perspective clearly and can understand his belief, although I feel quite opposite. I feel that the need to rethink or restrict free speech is not the issue at hand at all with the growth of cyberviolence. Our free speech already itself is not truly fully free, there are safety restrictions, guidelines and laws already put in place to assist in verbal violence. The “free speech” we have at times isn’t even always there; whether it be protests, books, and or social media posts, at times it is fairly and unfairly limited. We should be more worried about other cyberviolence issues that will grow within the digital environment.
Violence in the Digital Environment
I find it interesting in the video, when listing harms increasing in the digital environment, professor Graham only lists cyberstalking, hate speech, and disinformation. There are much bigger issues such as trafficking, cyberbullying, and cyber-deception, also increasing as well. Regardless that is not the main idea or topic I can’t ignore their roles and their current harm made and potential increase of harm. Back to disinformation, he states it is not a harm in the first place but it’s the potential harm it holds. A lot of things in the digital environment holds harm or risk, or a chance at having something awful come from it. It’s a part of its environment.
Even so if an abundance of information is misleading or even purely inaccurate, the chances of it leading directly to great permanent damage or harm is not likely, half of the news or magazines or media American citizens see daily is not fully accurate by any means. Yes, that has had many negative effects on our citizens and misleading information should be punishable regarding the incidents it may have caused but limiting everyone else’s is not the answer. Although, I agree with professor Graham on how big of an issue cyberbullying is entirely, and there must be something done for that. If there is a way to restrict even more free speech of those who conduct cyberbullying behavior I am all for it. I know I have seen multiple posts online removed due to cyberbullying behavior, and also I play lots of video games online as well and technology and people will be kicked from a session and even suspended from gameplay if certain words, images are shared.
Our Free Speech
African Americans are still not fully heard even after hundreds of years of peaceful protests. Without the “free speech” we have today countless much needed changes that have conspired over history for the better may not have happened, whether it was women’s rights or civil rights etc. At times of peaceful protest “free speech” at times is simply ripped away from us. I am from Richmond, Virginia and over the summer we had a number of Black Lives Matters protests, in which I participated in. Cyberviolence is harmful and hurtful but not to the extent whereas we need to add more restrictions, ultimately taking away positive free speech limits we currently have from everyone as a whole. Possibly can punish those individually who seem to have a reoccurring pattern of wrongful acts with their free speech.
Conclusion – May Speech be Free In conclusion, wrongful speech of others whether it be disinformation, bullying, stalking, and or hate speech is certainly hurtful to many on a well ranged scale. It is upsetting that with the growth of the digital environment we must also have an increase of these things. Still, I do not feel that free speech for everyone as a whole is something that needs to be rethought and or restricted in order to prevent harm. If someone wants to be heard or noticed in today’s world, they will get there by any means necessary and should be punished if they did so wrongfully. I can see more punishment given to those who repeatedly harm others with their use of speech, but not limiting those who haven’t misused it.