Blended Essay
Isabella Rowley – 11C
In the current world it is thought that the only thing humans consume more than air, is content.
Social media has provided an international platform for individuals to share their views with others
at any given time. It is therefore vital that the content viewed is as authentic as possible, while still
maintaining rights of free speech. Censorship is a threat to free speech as it limits what social media
users view through algorithms, it is often counterproductive thus harming the people it claims to
protect, and it fails provide a platform for society to share their views, through it’s inherent bias.
Algorithmic censorship is a subtle, but powerful way to manipulate the public into believing certain
opinions purely based on their repetitive nature. Multiple popular platforms make use of algorithms
to show users exactly what they want to see, in order to substantiate their opinions on important
social issues. In this way social media has limited what users can see, and failed to present them with
differing views to their own. This creates a danger in society. It reinforces only one side of the issue,
while hiding the other side, thus taking away people’s ability to make informed decisions on their
beliefs. When a person is bombarded with repetitive information everyday, they begin to believe it
without considering differing views, which creates individuals shaped by a social media company
rather than by informed opinions. It creates echo chambers to constantly reinforce one belief, which
people start believing to be the only correct belief. Social media companies are also taking
advantage of young, impressionable minds online, by taking away their ability to construct a belief
system and think critically before decision making. Therefore social media censorship has limited it’s
users ability to form opinions on social issues, by limiting the content that they see, using algorithms.
Censorship is often thought to be the best way to prevent minority groups online from being
discriminated against. While, in theory, this concept seems to be effective, Nadine Strossen (former
ACLU president) believes it to be counterproductive. It is often minority groups who are
disproportionately censored, by a platform claiming to protect them. The Arab Spring movement,
when first introduced on Twitter, was heavily censored, and only when the majority of users were
involved was it deemed acceptable.Furthermore, censorship often only amplifies voices by
attempting to silence them. Everyone on the internet wants to know why their favourite celebrity’s
post was censored, and naturally that post would have been seen by millions of people before it was
taken down, and no doubt recorded by an individual only to be reposted later. Situations like this,
Isabella Rowley – 11C
In the current world it is thought that the only thing humans consume more than air, is content.
Social media has provided an international platform for individuals to share their views with others
at any given time. It is therefore vital that the content viewed is as authentic as possible, while still
maintaining rights of free speech. Censorship is a threat to free speech as it limits what social media
users view through algorithms, it is often counterproductive thus harming the people it claims to
protect, and it fails provide a platform for society to share their views, through it’s inherent bias.
Algorithmic censorship is a subtle, but powerful way to manipulate the public into believing certain
opinions purely based on their repetitive nature. Multiple popular platforms make use of algorithms
to show users exactly what they want to see, in order to substantiate their opinions on important
social issues. In this way social media has limited what users can see, and failed to present them with
differing views to their own. This creates a danger in society. It reinforces only one side of the issue,
while hiding the other side, thus taking away people’s ability to make informed decisions on their
beliefs. When a person is bombarded with repetitive information everyday, they begin to believe it
without considering differing views, which creates individuals shaped by a social media company
rather than by informed opinions. It creates echo chambers to constantly reinforce one belief, which
people start believing to be the only correct belief. Social media companies are also taking
advantage of young, impressionable minds online, by taking away their ability to construct a belief
system and think critically before decision making. Therefore social media censorship has limited it’s
users ability to form opinions on social issues, by limiting the content that they see, using algorithms.
Censorship is often thought to be the best way to prevent minority groups online from being
discriminated against. While, in theory, this concept seems to be effective, Nadine Strossen (former
ACLU president) believes it to be counterproductive. It is often minority groups who are
disproportionately censored, by a platform claiming to protect them. The Arab Spring movement,
when first introduced on Twitter, was heavily censored, and only when the majority of users were
involved was it deemed acceptable.Furthermore, censorship often only amplifies voices by
attempting to silence them. Everyone on the internet wants to know why their favourite celebrity’s
post was censored, and naturally that post would have been seen by millions of people before it was
taken down, and no doubt recorded by an individual only to be reposted later. Situations like this,
