Internet Censorship as The New 'Norm'

The growing concern of the American people today is the normalization of internet censorship. The act of putting restraints on publishing and viewing work on the internet to some may seem like a positive effort to protect most citizens from harmful ideas and or propaganda. However, to others regulating information meant to be accessed by all who come across it has been shining a light on how much control has been given over to people in power. The internet and social media construct was created for the people, by the people. To help citizens gain more knowledge, become more connected with each other, and to be a place where people should feel free to express themselves. The infringement of either government or corporate power on the works of citizens is a violation of what the Information Superhighway stands for.

This past year has deemed itself to be the year where in the midst of a national quarantine, the american people turned to social media as a common way to stay connected to one another. Though there is no such thing as perfect timing of a global pandemic, the sudden increased usage of social networking sites has fallen in line with the most recent presidential election. In what seemed to be a dire race between the Republican and Democratic parties, many citizens, including elected officials, took to their screens and in every way imaginable attempted to uplift their own party. Among these were those who posted inaccurate information in order regarding one’s opposing side to achieve support. Democratic leaders of Congress called for there to be action on censoring faulty propaganda to which sites such as Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter have shown an increase in. However, the dangerous pattern noticed by Jonathon Turley, an American attorney and opinion contributor with The Hill News, is that “The increasing levels of censorship and have a well known reputation for targeting a vast amount of conservative speech in contrast to the left leaning parties”.

With all this trouble many American leaders in power are going through in order to protect the minds of those credulous to the rumors of the internet, it begs the question: How will censorship affect the nation’s internet community in the long run? The media in this day and age has presented itself as a dangerous tool disguised as a connecting tool that helps humanity as we progress towards the future. The use of censorship is introducing the newer generations to an idea that there is only one way to think that is accepted by most members of society or that it is seen as a crime to believe what others say that go against the status quo. To grow up in an environment where it is seen as destructive to contest one another's beliefs is an attack on our individuality and our abilities to form our own thoughts and opinions.

In contrast to this belief many people believe that the censorship of the internet can help to protect social stability and national safety. Censoring the web has been proven to help curb the large number of illegal activities and internet crimes. Some organizations or people may release black information which can affect how most citizens view leaders or House laws in a negative light without strong cause. Extremists may release false information to distort facts, confuse the public people’s mind and create a nationwide panic throughout the internet. Paul Coleman, a professor at Cambridge University exclaims, “The protection is not only about the physical preservation of the people, and foremost, it is a force and guidance in the morals and values of the nation as a whole”. There are many inappropriate and immoral content and information on the internet which is believed to have a severe negative influence on the moral and value shape of the public.

To sum up, everything that has been stated so far, the censorship of the internet in most cases acts as a double-edged sword. What may seem helpful or even beneficial to our society can be detrimental to the practice of our rights. The infringement by either government or corporate power on the works of citizens is a violation of what the Information Superhighway stands for. You see, this “new normal” has been proven to work in some rare cases. However, the act itself remains on the wrong side of history. Not even a pandemic will change that.