"...despite the unprecedented ubiquity of speech and information today, the golden age is coming to an end. Today, we are witnessing the dawn of a free-speech recession."
Jacob Mchangama provides commentary in Foreign Affairs on the reaction across all types of states, from China and Asia to the US and Europe, that look to restrict free speech, now enabled and turbocharged by internet instantaneous platforms. It's helpful to point out historical examples that remind us that "New communications technology is inevitably disruptive." and it will take time to adapt.
"Liberal democracies must come to terms with the fact that in the Digital City, citizens and institutions cannot be shielded from hostile propaganda, hateful content, or disinformation without compromising their egalitarian and liberal values. Whatever fundamental reforms governments must pursue to ensure that humans can thrive, trust one another, and flourish in the Digital City, a robust commitment to free speech should be recognized as a necessary part of the solution rather than an outdated ideal to be discarded."
I would agree that governments and societies should lean forward positivity to the frameworks and systems that enable free speech to flourish. But, can they also help individuals think beyond themselves to respect others more? We too often miss the opportunity to see the impact of our speech on others we care about.
It took us millenia to find ways to learn our social cues that enable a productive community in the physical analog world. Just reflect on all the ideas, thoughts, opinions, jokes we think but do not say. In the digital world, we are unleashed to be unfiltered, because that drives the most reaction, the most clicks, the most amusement. The danger today is that, with no immediate impact to ourselves, unfiltered individuals contribute to a community much worse than one we'd choose to be a member of.
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