(image source: https://www.truthhawk.com/social-media-censorship-creating-impending-chaos/ )
Content versus Context: Removing Restrictions on Social Media
Social media is commonly used as a way for people to express their experiences and idea to the world. While some rules are necessary like any form of media, there are many restrictions placed on users that are unnecessary. Social media should remove some of its restrictions on content posted on their websites to allow for more freedom of expression. Rules are necessary to maintain some form of order on social media. However, there is a difference between making sure that social media is a place where everyone can share their ideas in a constructive way and limiting social media by allowing you to only share idea that appease others. While a website’s terms and conditions prevent a person from posting certain topics within reason on their sites, there are still far too many restrictions that prevent people from fully expressing themselves.
There are already methods available to prevent posts to be shown on your account. While you would not be able to block all posts about a topic you do not agree with, you would be able to block accounts that continuously post about it. For example, Twitter provides users with a simple step-by-step guide to not only block a specific post, but also a person’s account as well (“How to Block Accounts”). If you do not approve of a person’s posting habits, social media providers often make it simple for you to not see what that person has posted. The idea that one should cater to their unintended audiences is ludicrous. If a person has an opinion that you do not like, does it matter what they say? If they do not continuously attack you or make threats to you over social media, it should not matter what they share. While attacks and threats should not be ignored by social media providers, posts that you simply do not agree with be subject should not be reported.
With social norms constantly changing, whether a post is appropriate for social media will also change. In 2014, a woman named Heather Bays had her Instagram account banned for posting a picture of her breastfeeding her daughter (Jones). This ban persisted despite not violate any of Instagram’s rules. Instagram states “breastfeeding is natural and beautiful and we’re glad to know that it’s important for mothers to share their experiences” (“Does Instagram Allow Photos”). However, because others decide to actively punish posts that go against what they approve of, Bays’s account was banned. This ban was not reversed until the story became public and drew the attention of the news. With the permanence of social media posts, if Instagram decides it would like to revoke their view on breastfeeding, what would happen to accounts that had already had pictures that were compliant with the rules at the time? It would be fair to say that the accounts have pictures that are now in violation of the current rules. That would also make it “fair” to ban all those accounts; “fair” being completely illogical. Context is not static; it is able to change as new events happen and social norms change. These constant changes would make it nearly impossible for users to make sure all their posts are perceived correctly in their new context by reviewing all their previous posts and deciding if a post must be deleted or modified. What was not considered acceptable today may be encouraged tomorrow and what was encouraged today may be thought of as repugnant tomorrow.
It should not be social media’s job to determine how we should express ourselves. Sure, many people would want to keep themselves looking professional or at least not want some embarrassing photos of them out there. But does this mean that we should not have the ability to post it online. An individual named Ryan Stewman had this problem with his Facebook account. Stewman’s account was temporarily banned after he commented a post made by one his friends making a political joke (Stewman). If Stewman did not mind being associated with that joke or his response to the joke, why should he not be allowed to express himself in that way? Many social media users can determine for themselves if something they say would be received positively or negatively from their friends and families. If his post does not attack a person’s character or threaten another’s safety, his post should have account should not have been banned.
Social media is another medium for broadcasting your ideas to the world. Other mediums, such as television and radio, are already regulated. Social media is one of the last ways for us to express our ideas freely. Without doubt, there must be some rules about what is and is not acceptable behavior regarding social media use. That does not mean we have to have a strict list of what should be allowed on social media. Context of material is determined by the time it is perceived. Content should not have to accommodate the everchanging context when considering what is and is not allowed on social media.
Works Cited
“How to Block Accounts on Twitter.” Twitter. Twitter. help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/blocking-and-unblocking-accounts.
“Does Instagram Allow Photos of Mothers Breastfeeding?.” Instagram Help Center. Instagram. https://help.instagram.com/172319602942927?sr=1&sid=0iHMU0in9DGlb0TwJ.
Jones, Nate. “Meet the Breastfeeding Mom Who Took On Instagram and Won.” PEOPLE.com. People. 14 May 2014. people.com/babies/heather-bays-breastfeeding-mom-gets-instagram-account-back-after-ban/.
Stewman, Ryan. “Facebook Police: There’s No Such Thing as Free Speech on Social Media.” TheHuffingtonPost.com. The Huffington Post. 12 Nov. 2017. www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/facebook-police-theres-no-such-thing-as-free speech_us_5a045e95e4b055de8d096ae2.