TWITTER IS NOT YOUR HOME

In light of recent events surrounding the so called safe-spaces contaminating college campuses around North America, across the globe, pseudo-intellectual bloggers and their ideals are making appearances in real-word discussions. Much worse, the outrageous, lying internet personalities, who once only had influence on demographics like that of Tumblr’s, are being believed by normally reasonable people. Others are already well-respected academics.

Luckily, the best of us are acknowledging the ridiculous the effects these “journalists” have on real people. What’s most interesting is that the majority of these people could be rational if they didn’t contribute to a mentality that supported free speech, but only under certain circumstances: as long as what’s said isn’t at the expense of people’s feelings.

To the dismay of many, I say hogwash. Our ‘feelings’ prevent us from having the most important discussions we wouldn’t be having otherwise. In a time where change can happen so quickly, so easily, we should be pushing our feelings aside and listening to the voices of reason, whether liberal or conservative.

Of course, many hear the word ‘conservative’ and flee like disturbed termites, and with interesting characters – to say the very least – like Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, I wouldn’t blame them. The inherent problem with fleeing is that we’re ignoring the other Republicans, and on the same coin, we’re paying too close attention to the Democrats. Way too close.

But the issue I’m addressing won’t be one of American politics, I’ll spare you that. It is, however, one of Web politics. Much more exciting, I’ll say.

What the American presidential elections actually do, in part, is highlight the issues our youths wouldn’t be talking about otherwise. The entertainment value that comes with televised debates allows young people, including those not normally interested in politics, to have conversations. Conversations lead to ideas, and ideas to debates. It’s a cycle. A very important cycle that sparks interest in the aspiring active members of society for generations to come.

The viewership stats for the debates have never been so high, and while some may attribute the success to Donald Trump, I’d rather attribute the success to the viewers for their interest. You see, viewership would be astonishingly low if it weren’t for platforms like Twitter, on which he has 6 million followers. Because a Trump follower doesn’t necessarily equate a Trump supporter… at least by the laws of the Internet. It’s hard to deny him as an excellent entertainer, even if you hate him to the bone, and he has the numbers to prove it. It also goes without saying that the majority of the people who use Twitter are college students, most of them liberal.

So what does that mean for the common Twitter user? Well, it means they shouldn’t be afraid to say anything that’s on their mind. After all, that’s exactly what Twitter was programmed to do.

Things start to get messy when people fail to understand or acknowledge that there are, in fact, millions other people on the site that are doing the exact same thing. If you’re one to offer followers your opinions, expect some feedback and criticism when they don’t agree with you. It’s almost like the real world, isn’t it?

Unfortunately now, even Twitter is fighting against its own purpose. Despite efforts to eliminate ISIS and ISIS support accounts from the site, hundreds of them still exist and are being made every day. Interestingly, though, they still have the time and, supposedly, the reason to de-verify Tech Editor and harmless professional provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos at conservative outlet Breitbart, an action that outraged thousands of conservatives and libertarians online who were afraid they would be policed for having unpopular opinions. The blue check mark exists simply to ensure the credibility of Twitter accounts belonging to public personas and celebrities, and can be revoked in the event that the user breaks Twitter’s guidelines.

So where do we draw the line between what falls under free speech and what doesn’t? Well, it’s not hard really. Unless someone calls for another’s assassination, rape, or torture, they’re perfectly well protected. Internet personalities like blogger and YouTuber Roosh V, who was banned from speaking in several Canadian cities, are not to be confused with provocateurs like Mr. Yiannopoulos. Where Roosh has advocated to make rape legal in the confines a private property, Yiannopoulos has not. However, the more than controversial blogger has since said that he intended his statement to be satirical in nature. Not very good satire if you ask me.

So don’t shy away, especially, especially, if you have something important to say. With the Web, there are literally thousands of publishing platforms, and while Twitter may de-verify you, it’s only a minor inconvenience… for now. Even less of an inconvenience is all the criticism you might get, but then again, that’s where the real conversation begins.