This question was posed by Julie Blank,
"Thirty years ago, before the Internet was invented, a problem like online censorship would not have arisen. As online interactions and globalization increase, what issues with internet censorship and “cancel culture” could you foresee in the future?"
https://www.gradnium.com/gradnium/@julie.blank14/week-03-questions-online-censorship
Internet censorship Is overall not a terrible idea. A huge amount of the internet includes the deep web which is largely dangerous and would most certainly be worse without some sort of enforcement of internet policy. However, censorship as a whole is something that goes directly against our first amendment of free speech, and even though it is necessary at times it should still be used as little as possible.
The internet is a largely unknown place to the public which unlike other forms of media such as television and newspapers, is hard to understand its interworkings. This has led to online censorship becoming a bit more commonplace and aggressive than in other forms of media. essentially my view is that the fear of the unknown has allowed harsher policing of internet activities. This fear of the unknown is combined with the rapid expansion of internet use, and will in turn cause an increase in online censorship.
If internet censorship continues to become harsher than it already is, then I'm afraid many internet media platforms would become even more biased as almost anyone in charge of an online platform can censor those they don't agree with. This creates false truths, which are already prominent on the internet where almost anyone can start a rumor and many will believe it. I also believe this increase in censorship will bring more malice and mistrust to many platforms such as news outlets, social media, and discussion forums. This would lead to little to no trust in these platforms and will drive people away from what is actually the truth because they do not trust the provider of said news.
this increase in false truths combined with a lack of trust will cause, in my opinion, a disconnect of the people from the events unfolding in the world since those events will be censored or contorted. We can see this already happening in our media today as many news stations will report on the same story, and will provide multiple different coverages of the event.
This increase in online censorship should hopefully bring about people who are able to think critically and determine what the truth is. I believe that if people would take the time to determine the truth, then our present situation would turn for the better and allow more freedom on the internet. However, many people will do what is easiest, and so many will believe these constructed truths and flat out lies because it is easiest for them.