FREE SPEECH ON THE INTERNET

Since its invention, the Internet is arguably the best thing that ever happened to mankind. This is so, because of the way it has revolutionized the way things are done in the modern world, talk of easy transmission of information, increased productivity and even easy and fast gathering of data. These facts together with many advantages that can be associated with the Internet have made it an appealing entity…it would almost be unimaginable to think of life without the Internet. However in the midst of all these admiration, there is one aspect of the Internet that has stirred a lot of debates and controversies i.e. the free speech on the Internet. In fact it is because of this aspect that the Internet is considered to be a ‘dangerous’ medium where ideas are transmitted instantly and in an uncontrolled manner.

I am bent towards supporting that there be restrictions in the speech of the Internet due to some reasons that I will discuss as follows. We live in an information characterised society where the nature of information that is disseminated to the public has to be regulated. This is common policy that almost all media houses have to adhere to e.g. TV broadcasts, radio stations, magazines, book publishers etc. The aspect of regulation ought to cut across all entities that provide accessible information to the public; the Internet being one of them.

Secondly when ideas are left unchecked they can be rather harmful to the people who access these ideas. This point is well demonstrated in the case where children and teenagers are involved. With the click of a button, the Internet opens doorways to loads of lewd information, pornography and even recipes for making bombs. The effects of such information can already be seen in school kids, it is now becoming a norm hearing them talk of sex, genitals, killing people etcetera. Personally, I hold the thought that images and words are very powerful and they ultimately shape the character of an individual. For instance, soldiers are taught how to deal with complex circumstances however when they witness grotesque acts during wars, they are usually shaken up by these events to a point where they develop traumatic stress. The Internet is just as bad; with more information left unchecked, there is a certain rot that is taking place in the morals of the society. And in the cases where kids are exposed to extreme information, it is feasible that they may as well suffer from traumatic stresses as well. Thus begging the question, is this is sovereignty or irresponsibility?

Critics may argue that restrictions are selfish. However, when people express certain ideas like threats that are harmful to others in a way that suppresses their ‘freedom of expression,’ then I deem it right and necessary to take the measures to restraint such types of expressions.

In conclusion, there is dire need for action to be taken to streamline the flow of information over the Internet. For the society to minimise some of the ills it faces then regulation of the Internet has to be a priority.