Publication Date
6-2023
Document Type
Comment
Abstract
If you were to walk up to a random person on the street and ask to look at their cell phone, it is almost guaranteed that you would find one or more social media applications (apps) installed. In fact, according to a 2021 study conducted by Pew Research Center, around 72% of the adult population within the United States uses some form of social media. Some of the most notoriously known and popularly used social media apps include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. At a fundamental and foundational level, social media is used as a means of communication between people and companies. Merriam-Webster defines social media as “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites) through which people create online communities to share content (as information, personal messages, and videos).” It provides individual users and third parties a platform to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech by enabling them to communicate with others and make posts that represent their own words, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. And, significantly, it is also a trendy way for Americans to receive their news and keep up to date with government officials.
Recommended Citation
Preston, Stella
(2023)
"How Free is Your Speech on Social Media? Reconciling the Circuit Split Created by the Eleventh and Fifth Circuit’s Decisions on Anti-Censorship Laws Governing Social Media Platforms,"
Mercer Law Review: Vol. 74:
No.
4, Article 14.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.law.mercer.edu/jour_mlr/vol74/iss4/14