Own photograph. Used equipment Canon 40D. Place: Plaza de la Justicia. Lara. Venezuela. 2012. Processed in photoshop
I'm an advocate of freedom. All human beings should be defenders of their freedoms. Be free to decide. Be free to think. Be free to support ideas with which we identify. Be free to decide what to do with our lives. And especially, be free to express our ideas, thoughts, points of view. Our Free Speech.
What does freedom of expression mean to me?
For me it means a right. It's the right that all of us on the planet have. To be able to express our ideas and thoughts to other people. To speak freely on a subject, no matter how much others dislike our opinions. A true democratic system must be a defender of free speech.
Of course, that freedom is subject to the rules and laws that regulate the political and social system of each country. Because we are not really free. We spend our lives following rules that are imposed on us by people we choose in an election. We choose our jailers, we give them the power to make our lives. And in some countries, that power is taken by force, wiping out any expression of freedom.
The only limit that free speech should have is that which incites harm to another human being. A person using freedom of speech to call for the killing of another person would be inciting the commission of a serious crime. It is acceptable to me that he should manifest his hatred for another person, that is his right. But not inciting a murder. But the powerful use this type of case to attack all free speech.
Unfortunately, in all of human history. free speech instills fear. Words can be more deadly than an assault rifle. That is why governments, organizations and the powerful are afraid of freedom of speech. They just want to have slaves to the system, who don't think, who don't reason, who don't speak out...
...that happens on every level. From country governments, political parties, religious organizations, social networks and on blockchain platforms.
Do I think free speech is worth saving?
Absolutely! It's our right and the basis of any truly democratic system. In these times it is necessary to save freedom of expression. Even if we're made to believe we're free, it's not true. We are being induced, without realizing it, to limit our freedom of expression more and more. These are times of absurd political correctness. We cannot even make jokes. There will always be a community, a social group or people saying it is an offense. Now everyone is offended by an opinion, by a joke, by a comment. Freedom of expression is being buried by society itself.
Why do I think it's important? Why fight for free speech?
Because we are running out of voice. The powerful people who control the world system are winning the fight. Social networks should be a place where freedom of expression is paramount. But those social networks (Facebook, instagram, snapchat, twitter, pinterest, etc ) are controlled by millionaires who see us as an asset. We, the users, are the business. We give them our data and they make money with it. I've had facebook and twitter accounts removed with a lot of followers!. When we try to assert our freedom of expression on their social networks, we are censored, silenced, our accounts are deleted, we lose access to our writings, photos, files. But they continue to market our data.
We have to wake up from this dream in which the system keeps us. We must fight to protect our free speech. If we don't defend it today, it will be too late tomorrow. It's important that we defend it. Because the future of our children is in our hands. What kind of society are we going to leave them? When they look at the past and see that we don't fight enough and play the game of destroying, sometimes unknowingly, our free speech...
Own photograph. Used equipment Canon 40D. Place: Plaza de la Justicia. Lara. Venezuela. Processed in photoshop
Is there freedom of expression on blockchain platforms? In the blockchain there is also the danger of censorship and the attack on freedom of expression. I used to think the blockchain was immune to that. I was wrong! Recent events have shown that censorship and the harassment of those who dare to express their ideas, opinions, etc. are a reality within the blockchain systems. No system is perfect. What I thought was my space to express myself freely. In reality it is not.
Platforms with a collective governance system are also in danger of becoming systems that limit freedom of expression. For example, with a reward system, content creators could be induced not to address controversial issues. (Politics, religion, sex). We find ourselves only with similar publications, all with a harmonious message. In order to be rewarded. That's also limiting freedom of expression. People are induced to create only one kind of content. When the debate of ideas, the exchange of views, political, social, cultural, should be the basis of any social platform.
All our freedoms are in constant danger of being broken. The danger will always be there. I have seen defenders of freedom of expression, come to occupy a position of power and become enemies of freedom. It happens in real life and in web3.0 life. That's why it's important, not to be silent. Let's use our talents to defend our voice. Let's express ourselves without fear. Let's not let the system take away our right to express ourselves...
Thanks to 