Marx/Vandegrift

The protection of freedom of speech has become an even greater challenge with the large presence of social media. According to a study done by the University of Michigan in 2023, approximately 60% of the global population has a social media account and are active participants in public discourse via the internet. The issue at hand seeks to find a solution to promoting free speech and protecting the practice thereof while also protecting individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The concerns of misconstrued information being spread by social media, criminal activity being promoted in the public square, and violent outlashes of hateful speech raise the question of whether the government or private corporations have the jurisdiction to censor speech that takes place on social media.

The Marx/Vandegrift ticket understands the dangers of allowing a catalyst such as social media to continue functioning unregulated. However, freedom of speech is protected under the First Amendment and we believe that the abridgement of free speech should never be tolerated because that is a violation of constitutional rights. The Marx/Vandegrift ticket stands with the Vision Party and as a result believes policies should be put in place to protect free speech on social media from censorship by the government or private corporations. The definition of censorship is to suppress words, images, or ideas. Social media is one of the biggest platforms for the sharing of ideas and the practice of free speech. While free speech is a protected right there are certain categories which are not protected or condoned by the constitution. Obscenity, defamation, fraud, incitement, and threats are all examples of speech that is not protected. The Marx/Vandegrift ticket wants policies to be put in place to protect the freedom of speech exercised on social media from censorship in order to also protect original thought and individual opinion. We do not want these policies to allow unprotected speech to flourish but rather allow free access to expression and protect against censoring media in the public square.

The Marx/Vandegrift ticket will implement policies that prioritize education concerning constitutional context and the meaning of free speech and what kinds of speech are protected. It is unreasonable to think hateful speech should be protected on social media so we will create spaces and programs to teach about the correct usages of free speech. Social media platforms will also be required to show a form of consent to use only protected speech as a pop up screen before users can make an account to serve as a reminder of how we as a society can flourish and grow in unity and peace. Social media and public discourse should be a safe place for expressing ideas and practicing the freedom our constitutional rights guarantee. By requiring courses to be taught about what protected speech is and educating the public via social media platform consent forms, social media will be protected from censorship by the government or private entities.