The Battle for Public Opinion

    

https://www.thoughtco.com/public-opinion-definition-and-examples-5196466    

The internet, especially via social media has become a sort of hub for public opinion all over the world.  This rapid dissemination has erupted both in positive aspects and negative aspects as well.  

    On the one hand, this outlet has helped with the build up of progressive movements such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, both of which aim to spread awareness and put a stop to sexual abusers and corrupt police officers.  Through the creations of blogs, social media pages, and sometimes even full on websites, communities have created means to help individuals in common organize events.  On the other hand, the same could be said for groups of individuals with not as good intentions, such as the terrorists who attacked the U.S Capitol, or hateful organizations of individuals who prefer to harass and mistreat others.  On top of that in some cases, the issue at hand may not always be as black and white and there are many issues people may have different views on, and sometimes some of those views may not be even supported by the government.  

      The question at hand should be where do we draw the line?  And the problem here is that because of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, we have freedom of speech, a right that while important, some individuals tend to abuse for their own personal gain.  We can't simply arrest people for being trolls or for their opinion, even if their words are harmful, unless said speech puts others in danger.  And while this might suck as it does protect internet trolls, this also prevents the government from silencing just about anyone for their words.  

    It's a tightrope to walk, but one thing social media can do to help filter out individuals with poor views is enforce the terms of services that we all have to agree to before we can finish making accounts.  If an individual's account is being used to harass others or promote hateful rhetoric, it should be reported and suspended, which is a right a social media company has thanks to the Terms of Services because it acts as a sort of contract between the individual and the company.  We as individuals can also block, report, and refuse to engage with those with toxic viewpoints as well.  Just because they have the right to share their shameful views does not mean we have to listen or adhere to them.