I see a lot of people lately who are suddenly obsessed with freedom of speech and it is as if we have all become overnight experts eager to defend this sacred right but most people do not actually understand what freedom of speech means or where it came from or how it works in today’s world of social media manipulation. The concept did not spring out of nowhere because ancient Greece gave us the idea of parrhesia or speaking openly but only for a select few and women and slaves were out of luck and even during the Enlightenment intellectuals like Voltaire advocated for freedom of speech but only for the elite. America came along with its Constitution enshrining free speech but they did not protect the speech of everyone and in 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights finally proclaimed it a global right with Article 19 granting us the right to hold opinions and express them without interference but with explicit restrictions in the name of protecting others and national security and public order.

Here is the ugly truth that no one wants to admit which is that freedom of speech does not mean freedom of reach because social media platforms have blurred the lines between these two ideas and it is destroying the fabric of society. Elon Musk claims to be a free speech absolutist but he is not protecting your right to say what you want because he is protecting his right to make more money off the chaos and these platforms do not give a damn about free speech because they care about profit and engagement and making sure you stay addicted to the controversy they create. Hate speech and conspiracy theories and misinformation are all fair game because they drive clicks and comments and cash and they use you to do it and you are not exercising free speech because you are a pawn in their game amplifying their agenda without even realizing it.

When was the last time you voiced your opinion online and was it because you truly had something to say or were you pushed into it by the memes and the headlines and the trending hashtags because these platforms are molding your thoughts and shaping your outrage and pushing you to the brink all in the name of engagement and the worst part is you think it is your idea. The real question is not about free speech but about free will and who benefits when you tweet or post or share and is it really you or are you just another cog in a massive money-making machine.

Drop me a line on Twitter with your thoughts. I am @troysk704.