Social media expression - how free is it?

 While I’m not exactly an overly ambitious Tweeter or Facebooker or Google+-er (are those still around? pardon the joke at Google’s expense …), I do engage in some minimal social media and have noticed some things. I do value the improved ability to stay in touch with current or lost friends and the communication value is certainly almost limitless. However, I find the discourse on social media is not always the most conducive to free expression.

Please, if anyone out there disagrees with me on this, let me know! I’m sure many of you have remarkable examples of how a social media platform, such as Twitter, has allowed you to truly, freely express yourselves, but I wonder if you’ve witnessed any of the downsides? Because our words and thoughts are so openly visible, I think there is something of a tendency to shy away from some forms of expression.

Take politics, for instance. I have personally known stories of people receiving forms of discrimination or retribution in their workplace after freely expressing an opinion on a sensitive topic such as abortion or free trade or immigration or even which presidential candidate(s) they support.  Does fear of such treatment curtail truly free expression? Back in the days before Twitter etc, I’m sure similar things happened, but at least in a non-social media world you could decide with whom and when you wanted to share what.

Or an example from my own experience in sports fandom. I’m a fan of football (American) and baseball. That’s mostly it. I don’t know much at all about soccer (although I am curious, it seems so popular it must be great!) So I read another Tweeter’s opinion that described how sportscasters for soccer often take the role of mere spokespeople in favor of the teams they report on (as opposed to a lot of sportscasters for baseball and football, who mostly seem to be unbiased reporters, having opinions, but not biased in one way or another – I hope Skip Bayless is reading this, he should learn what a real reporter does!). So I merely asked this person if these soccer sportscasters had any financial stake or interest in the success of a given team? (a casual question, since I don’t know the system!). This person angrily told me “not to ask pointed questions lest I offend someone.” Really? So if I can’t ask a pointed question, how can we have real, open discourse that will enrich and educate all of us? If I’m afraid of offending someone by a mere question, I should be more afraid to offend some more people by making an actual statement!

Maybe I’m overreacting, and I hope one of you more social media-savvy friends out there can point me in the right direction and give me some more confidence to express myself. But as it is, sending out messages to “anyone out there” seems like a risky way to express oneself …. Unless of course you’re not afraid of offending anyone, which I hope most people are and one of you out there will encourage me to be!

Thanks for listening (ie. reading). Tweet me @ErikDWeis !!!! And I look forward to having free discourse on any topic with you!!!