Can a ban on TikTok put our values at risk?

Do you ever wonder why Americans love the First Amendment so much? As a born American citizen I can recall multiple instances over my lifetime where someone debated what exactly our founding fathers meant by freedom of speech and why it is extremely unethical to even think about removing that right from us. Yet, I have heard very little on what our first Amendment offers our society in a value sense. It wasn't till we discussed the Eight Values of Free Expression that it dawned on me the real impact free speech has had on our society. With the upcoming bill to ban TikTok, a well known social media site, we put so many values at risk, but "6. Promote Tolerance" and "8. Protect Dissent" stood as dead set ringers for things we could lose because of this bill. But what are those values? What do they mean for the American people? Why does a ban on TikTok put those specific values at risk? 

Let's first discuss value six on our list, what does it mean by “promoting tolerance” within preserving free speech? By allowing differing opinions, by allowing certain aspects of people's personality, by introducing different cultures into our society you begin to create a more tolerant society. TikTok, like most social media platforms, introduced Americans to different sides of the world. With free speech we allow for the free flowing of ideas and arguments, of differing opinions, and thus help us promote tolerance for those we don’t tend to agree with. 

Post made by NYTimesTravels on March 6th, 2024.

Stepping away from TikTok and looking at other social media outlets such as Instagram, we can see yet another space which utilizes our free speech into promoting tolerance of ideas and culture. Accounts like @nytimestravel post about different cultures and practices and if we remove that safe space or the ability to access these accounts we lose the ability to acknowledge cultures outside of the United States. Then instead of enjoying or being able to acknowledge the differences we have with the world we become ignorant and intolerant to them. 

On the other hand, number eight on our list pertains to “protecting dissent”, to dissent simply means to differ in opinion, to protect that means to protect opinions differing from yours, yet why is that such a valuable aspect or trait of free speech? TikToker Dylan Mulvaney makes a good point of reference for this idea. She recently dropped her debut single “Days of Girlhood”, a pop song in which she discusses different ‘fun’ girl stereotypes. While Mulvaney believed she was just writing a song for fun, the internet, on the other hand, did not like the song as intended, causing a surge of angry TikToker's who came out against Mulvaney. It is within these criticisms of Mulvaney we begin to see criticism of the criticizers, thus demonstrating a dissent in opinion among the viewers. While the comments on videos ranged from couldn’t disagree more to agreeing wholeheartedly, this ability to disagree and criticize while still being able to respect the creator is what we risk losing. 

At the end of the day, we as a society have been accustomed to the ideas and freedoms we have always been provided. In free speech we acquire values without evening initial acknowledging them. Without free speech who knows how tolerant or understanding of others we would be. 

About the Supreme Court

Merchant Exchange Building, New York City, NY.

As an American, after reading this article about the U.S. Supreme Court by History.com, I was able to  both refresh and learn new information about the supreme court. Did you know that the first meeting of the supreme court was going to be held in New York City in the merchant exchange building? Or that their first case, West v. Barnes, was a dispute between a farmer and a family he owed a debt too? It is absolutely remarkable how the U.S. Supreme Court has always been a main fragment of Washington D.C. in my mind and that the cases they took to me would only regard the constitution, so learning about the first case and location of the supreme court was shocking. 

The U.S. Supreme Court originally consisted of six Justice's but has fluctuated from five to ten justices over the years. Each Justice is appointed by the executive branch (president) and confirmed or denied by the legislative branch (senate). They serve full life terms and are meant to fulfill their duty to society for the remainder of their life. I have always found that not having term limits on Justices was a double sided sword. Though not mentioned in the article above I believe that while it limits the amount of outside influences to the Justices (i.e. job offers once they leave) it doesn't reflect the changes that occur in society.

Currently appoint Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Another thing to discuss when talking about the U.S. Supreme Court is the role it takes on in our society. In this video we get to further discuss the importance behind the U.S. Supreme Court. In said video we are informed that the U.S Supreme Court is tasked with interpreting the U.S. Constitution, and as time progresses we begin to see the U.S. Supreme Court as the main and most affluent interpreter. Their interpretations are held in such high regard that even today they very seldom stray from previously set precedent. 

  

Where do I get my news?

How do we consume the news in todays society? A question that's been at the forefront of my mind for quite a while. Since the downfall of the newspaper we've seen an emergence of online 'news-blogs', ones that I have personally grown up with. As far back as I could remember, my family had never received their news from a paper, instead they would watch the news on CBS or NBC. Similar to my parents, the development of online news sources along my own growth led me to gravitate towards finding information in new places. Below is my top five list of different news outlets that I use and read up on in my day to day life.

#5 X 

The creation of social media allowed for a new type of medium for the rapid spreading of information. X (formally known as Twitter) is one site I use ever so often in hopes of learning small tidbits of news information. While it does not offer full blog-like posts it still can provide the user with a good summary of situations and events. For example, if a user while scrolling through X reads about a certain bill being passed in congress, they can use that information to research parts or other facts pertaining to said bill.  One critique about this social media platform is that it's a publicly-accessible platform. User's can just as easily spread misinformation just as fast as they could spread correct information. X, While an entertaining and easy platform to use does come with its precautions. Knowing these faults in the site I barley trust much on X without doing my own personal research first. 

#4 CNN

Focusing more on traditional news sites we have CNN. I grew up watching CNN10 in class and now this is one of my preferred news sites that I flock to. CNN began as a TV broadcast in 1980 and was also watched by my parents while I was growing up. CNN is known for being or leaning on the left side of politics. CNN posts stories from the political world through the entertainment world and is a relatively popular news site. While CNN can have its faults in its portrayal or lack of news stories based around right wing politics, it's still interesting to gather a familiarity with. 

#3 NBC NEWS

Another traditional news source I use is NBC NEWS. Once again NBC is a typically left leaning news site. I found that a lot of the places I find my news align with my political views. Like CNN, NBC NEWS is also known for beginning its journey as a broadcasting station. I remember being a kid and watching NBC NEWS early in the morning waiting for them to transition into their daily kids television. I find it almost shocking how nostalgia plays a big role in what sites I go to and what stories I click on to read. 

#2 IGN

Moving away from political news sources, I am an avid gamer in my day to day life. One source where I tend to gather my information from is IGN. This source allows me to view upcoming news about game releases, game playthroughs, and other entertainment news. But it also doesn't just involve gaming news, the site also includes opinions on upcoming media release and the effects certain media might have on the public. I can't recall how many times I have went to this site when I need help getting through a game or wanted to know when a movie or show was releasing. IGN is one of my most visited news sites because of the entertainment it provides. 

#1 YOUTUBE

For my final news source I want to discuss YouTube. While yes, I understand that this maybe a full circle moment with previous sections where I discussed my parents viewership of news from broadcast stations, I find YouTube to be one of my favorite sources for information and entertainment. After a long day of working or going to class I like to come home and watch a couple videos on differing topics from around the world. I also enjoy that this platform has space for 'commentary' channels, channels that provide insight into their own opinions on the topics they're discussing. The overall environment of YouTube is inviting and I find myself gravitating and spending a lot of my time listening to different videos provided on the platform.