Musk has duty to advance free speech

After reading the "Elon Musk has an agreement to acquire Twitter for about $44 billion" article, I felt compelled to respond. This issue is extremely relevant to modern society.

The use of social media to communicate is a fundamental liberty. Founding thinkers highly stressed the importance of free speech and did everything they could do to protect this natural right constitutionally. In today's era, social media has called attention to more popular voices than others and monitors what is being said on platforms.

Community guidelines, company policies and other rules create a sort of censorship on public discourse. While companies have a strong motive to limit forms of controversial speech, the First Amendment protects speech as long as it is not obscene, defamation or does not incite illegal action. Outside of these extremities, people have the right to say what they want.

Twitter becoming a privately owned company - by a public figure who speaks out in support of unrestricted speech - is a step toward ensuring freedom of speech. Elon Musk says it needs to be transformed as a private company in order to build trust with users and do better at serving what he calls the "societal imperative" of free speech. It is important for the people to have a place to share their opinions without fear.

The media now act as a linkage institution, when people share their opinions, others take notice. When others take notice, social movements gain momentum and help better inform government representatives constituents' beliefs. Media creates links between people, exposing them to ideas foreign to their own.

Elon Musk, by buying Twitter, now has a responsibility to fulfill his promise to encourage free speech on Twitter's platform.

Alicia Brak

Round Lake