An Online Speech’s Boundaries

When does the freedom of speech breach the lines of liberty to reach the areas of malice and hostility? How does online posting create a platform for negativity and torment when it was meant to be an outlet for people to express themselves unapologetically? Why has social media allowed targeted harassment to be normalized when it’s primary objective was to connect various kinds of people via the internet?

I let myself ponder on these questions as I thought of what I could possibly write in this blog given this particular prompt. I racked the very nooks and crannies of my mind to search for the answers to these queries. Alas, my efforts fell short. Truthfully, I do not know the legitimate explanation to these and perhaps I may never know unless I dig deep enough to find out (aka search for it on Google). But in all honesty, I think my god complex wants to believe that my opinion ultimately cancels out actual facts supported by evidence and data like PEMDAS. Some egotistical part of me wants to say that my perspective is correct and everyone else is in the wrong -- my logic is just that impenetrable, you know? Or maybe that's just my inflated ego we’re talking about. Nonetheless, for legal reasons this is merely only a joke.

In all seriousness though, it is already quite clear that there are boundaries that are not supposed to be crossed when one is sharing anything online. There are rules to online speech, both written and unwritten. Take this from me, a person who’s Twitter account got suspended after badmouthing (debatable) the Recording Academy for robbing BTS of their Grammy award. There are things that you are just not allowed to say on the internet and I learned that the hard way. The restrictions, however, vary from platform to platform. Though, the general guidelines and regulations all employ the same principles. You must not engage in cyberbullying of any sort, you must not use “offensive” or “discriminatory” words against others, you must not post private information, and overall most platforms prioritize the safety of both themselves and their users so you are certainly not permitted to utilize their services as a method of doing illegal activity.  

With all of these in mind, I still wonder why some netizens are still so boldly going against these so-called rules. I even question my own choices and as to why I didn’t even hesitate to defend BTS on the internet when I already knew the consequences that will accompany these brash (highly debatable) decisions. Maybe I just act upon impulse when it involves my K-Pop boys, maybe I just lose all forms of rationality when provoked by an awards show that only favors white artists and disregards the works of people of color. Maybe it’s Maybelline. Though, in all honesty, I think other frequent users of social media also do not practice the infamous saying of “Think before you click” as they regard their online activity as something they will hardly be held accountable for. And surprisingly enough there are people like me that believe that they will only receive minor repercussions if they do decide to go against a specific online platform’s   community guidelines. A restriction or a suspension merely seems like a slap on the wrist as most users still have the chance to create another account and start anew.  

The unwritten rules are an entirely different story. This is where I ask myself the question, when does the freedom of speech breach the lines of liberty to reach the areas of malice and hostility? And personally I view freedom as something that should still concern the welfare of others. Having been given the privilege to express yourself online does not automatically grant you the authority to disregard the welfare of others. I think most people fail to bear in mind that the other netizens that they interact with are people with real identities, leading real lives and experiencing real humane struggles. Oftentimes we forget that there are actual people behind every like, reply, and share that we receive. I think that the times where we feign indifference towards the well-being of others is when we abuse our rights to access free speech. When we choose to be selfish -- when we prioritize our own trivial desires over the good of others we ultimately lose sight of our own humanity.