Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is the cornerstone to democracy. Being able to share ideas without the fear of official retribution is absolutely necessary if society is to improve, as there can be no improvement without criticism of the status quo.

However freedom of speech does not necessarily give one the right to a mass media platform, especially in the age of the Internet where memes can spread to millions of people in a matter of minutes, potentially misinforming and inflaming those who see it in ways that are dangerous to a stable society.

It is easy to conceive of a future where everyone is taught critical thinking and trained to recognize misinformation wherever it appears. In such a society it could be possible for lies, racism and incitement to violence to be shunned to the point that very few are willing to break those taboos. However this is far from our current reality.

Incitement to violence or chaos is where the line is typically drawn in societies that value free speech. You can't shout "fire" in a theater because it inevitably leads to chaos. You can't threaten others with violence or encourage others to engage in violence. These cases are clear-cut.

More nuance is required when discussing topics like racism, or a big lie that, if true, would justify violence in response. In these cases it seems that unless tech algorithms serve these lies by the millions to unsuspecting readers, or they are repeated and promoted by political elites, they will stay relegated to small groups of social outcasts without the need for official limitations on free speech.