The Censor Dictatorship

After the World Wide Web became the hit craze of the nineties, the world can’t seem to get enough of the online sphere. Every day I find myself wrapped up in the vast expanse of social media, catching up on the latest drama or scouring for YouTube clips in the dead of the night and far too much short form content. Anything and everything lies at the tips of your fingers. I’m a child of the internet: I lived through Youtube’s prime and the rise of Twitter and Instagram. Ever since I got my first iPod touch in fifth grade I knew that there was no going back. 

In my countless hours of internet perusing - and a few more years of maturity under my belt - I’ve begun to notice the upsurge of… controversial content. Social media goers are inclined to post whatever comes to mind. Sometimes, these vulgar posts find their way into the hands of unsuspecting individuals, those who would much rather have these “offensive” posts remain unseen. However, others believe that the person posting shouldn’t suppress what they publicize to appeal to these more modest viewers. 

To censor or not to censor: that is the question.

This predicament has left each social media site to institute its own course of action. Several corporations have taken up the mantle and constructed lengthy terms and conditions; though, we all know everyone skips those. The TikTok goliath reigns supreme and crushes any content it deems dicey. Underneath the thumb of the oppressors are creators who believe these managers are obstructing individuals’ freedom of speech. Why not allow a person to post their questionable political views? Why not post crude sayings and pictures? 

If this content is struck down, pitchforks and torches cry “You’re impeding my rights!” So, everything gets posted, and today’s teens - along with mere children - are exposed to excess nudity, the glorification of mental illness, violence, and a whole host of alarming content. A simple click of a button from a Twitter official could end the flow of this coarse content. I know that I was exposed to much more than a twelve-year-old ought to be due to my access to the internet. And let me tell you, those images stick.

There are victims of censorship though, either from draconian conditions or false strikes - innocent creators face the stricter side of censorship. Everything risks redaction. Take the infamous Tumblr ban for example. The ban was to further censor adult content and to foster a more family friendly environment - though the Tumblr system turned frankly puritanical. Yes, adult content was flagged and taken off the site - along with photographs, a great many art pieces, and even the word “sad”.

Talk about a strict censor.

I too find it hard to throw myself behind censorship: many of my favorite creators, and their material, may seem too controversial to remain posted, commentary may be misconstrued to be overly critical. But seeing the rise and fall of some internet celebrities promotes further growth and learning - the community reckons what is wrong and encourages this behavior to cease. With a censor in place, learning from the past is also censored, gone with the wind. 

Censorship doesn’t need to become a warzone, one where TikTok or Twitter abducts poor creators, leading them to fall from their platforms, inducted into a new way of life. Yes, change is necessary to protect the youth alone but a dictatorship is not. Communication between the citizens and the monarch benefits both parties. With conversation the internet can grow and prosper until we all live in paradise.