The Eight Values of Free Expression

These eight values of free expression were here to help with our individual values, ideas, and opinions. This also helps with dialogue, understanding, and increases public knowledge. If we do not have freedom of speech then we can not grow new ideas and learn, which helps communities.

Individual Self-Fulfillment

This gives people the freedom to create their own identity and show who they are. I see this a lot every day with people standing outside somewhere telling others why they should not shop there, or even on social media. Social media gives everyone the chance to express who they are through the accounts they make. Every day people post their beliefs about politics, or essentially anything that is posted online. 

Individual Self-Fulfillment also helps find people who share the same beliefs, hobbies, interests, etc. Especially on social media, people can easily find others who are the same and therefore can share the same ideas and learn from each other. 

The Market Place of Ideas

This can also be known as the Discovery of Truth, when the truth and the falsehood are allowed to be free for everyone to hear and listen to, the truth will always come out on top. I can see this as well through social media as well, with multiple posting what their opinions are whether or not they are true. This also gives people the right to disagree and cause controversy. 

In this society, we have access to multiple viewpoints which is necessary for us to see everyone's opinions and enhance accountability. Like the previous value, this helps with the idea of being creative and showing their true self. Another important aspect is the idea of checking what we see online and gives us the ability to critique what we see.

In this day and age, our main form of getting ideas and opinions out there is social media. Platforms like TikTok, Twitter (now known as X), Instagram, etc. are vital applications for everyone, but people can post something that is not true. There are many sites that are not verified and can cause the spread of information that is not true. But, on the other hand if the topic is important, people will make sure to check their information beforehand. 

Although, everyone has the right to post opinions and voice their beliefs, celebrities and influencers definitely have a bigger voice than others, then creating their followers to listen to what they have to say, even if it is not true. But, despite the criticism of this theory, it is an essential concept unpinning many modern legal and philosophical interpretations of free speech and democracy. 

These two concepts are important to me especially in this day and age where social media is a vital platform for everyone. We are allowed to be creative and show our true selves. The fact we can share ideas and opinions freely is successful for us to make progress positively. This shows the importance of these speech theories and how we can speak and share the truth and learn more ideas, which I will stand by. 

The History and the Workings of the Supreme Court

 Unfortunately, I do not know much about the Supreme Court. I know that once you are on the Supreme Court, your term does not end unless by impeachment. They also focus on the law and when it shall be applied. After watching the two videos on the history and workings of the Supreme Court, I found them interesting, as well as some key takeaways from the videos. 

 

One of my favorite quotes in the first video is from Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: "We are quiet, but it is the quiet of a storm center." The Supreme Court looks at many different cases, and although they are quiet during the decision of the case, the aftermath is what causes the storm. In all of America, there have been just over a hundred Supreme Court Justices, averaging at about 16 years for their term. Keeping in mind, the Supreme Court has existed for over 200 years. Thanks to John Marshall and the Marbury v. Madison case, we now view the Supreme Court as a co-equal branch of government. 

The Supreme Court receives around one hundred new cases a week, totaling up to around seven thousand a year. Only accepting one hundred a year, the Supreme Court needs to ask if the law was used properly and if it's constitutional. 

What I found interesting is that each of the nine justices will work separately with law clerks and secretaries during cases but then will work all together when the case is brought up to the Supreme Court. Another fact I found interesting is that a Justice's term is not over and once you are appointed you are in that position for life. 

A thing I found surprising is that to have a President be in his position you have ballots and voting. But for the Justice, the President will decide who is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and you can not vote or use a ballot box for them, so you really have to trust whoever is the President at the time. To me, that would put a lot of stress because you will get backlash from people in the United States and sometimes they do not realize that Justice's all are people as well. 

Lastly, the amount of work they have to do seems unimaginable to me, getting seven thousand cases a year and only choosing one hundred out of all of those must be hard. Knowing what these people have to go through is really tough and I can not do it myself so I applaud those who can, especially because of their term being lifelong. 

My Top 5 Sources for Keeping Me in the Loop

 We are in a world where we all get information about anything online. We connect with friends, catch the news, and play games. In my generation, we do not turn on a news channel on television. I tend to lean on my social media platforms to keep me updated, and here are my top five.

1. Tik Tok

TikTok is my main platform to check the news, watch entertainment, or anything else. It is a growing platform that many from my generation use for the same reasons. The videos are short, so it is easy to comprehend the information given to you. TikTok has a special algorithm that will show you videos that are based on your interests. With the capability to go viral, you can reach a large audience quickly. I am the total opposite of my dad. He likes to get his information via news channels on the television, while I get my information via social media platforms. This app has accounts for all the same news channels but they summarize it to fit in the time frame of a video. This makes it easier for me to understand the information that is being provided to me. TikTok is definitely my top platform for obtaining the information I get, although I use it for more entertainment purposes. 

2. Instagram

My use of Instagram is very similar to TikTok. The only difference is that I post to keep my family updated from so far away. I follow the important news accounts and other accounts for entertainment and then updates on family. Like TikTok, they have an algorithm so therefore you see videos and posts based on your interests and likes. Though you can go viral on Instagram, it does not have the same effect as TikTok. This app's target audience is the younger generation, but you find more and more people who are older using Instagram to connect with family and stay in touch. Most popular news channels do have accounts on major social media platforms which helps me especially because I would not open a news app when it just appears on my feed on Instagram. But, this app, for me, is entertainment use only. I will admit I would not know some of the news stories if it weren't for Instagram, but that is not the main use of this app for me.

3. LinkedIn

The use of this app is strictly professional. I am in this time of my life where I need to start looking for jobs to be able to be a part of the workforce. This platform is where you can see what companies you are interested in are doing. One of my favorite things about this platform is that I can see my friends and their achievements and successes. Being a Business Administration major, I follow the Phillips School of Business to see what events have been going on and how to get involved. I also see my Dad's company and its events and achievements because it is important to network and reach out to companies especially because we will not be in school forever. 

4. Snapchat

We are constantly on our phones. Although I prefer text messaging with my friends, they prefer Snapchat as their form of communication. Unlike TikTok and Instagram, you cannot really follow news platforms on it because it is more of a way to communicate with your friends and family. There is also an algorithm so you see influencer's Snapchat stories because you can post publicly for all to see. Though it is not my all-time favorite, it is one of my top platforms because I like keeping in touch with my friends and seeing what is going on in their lives, it makes me feel more connected. 

5. iMessage

Lastly, this is my last source of keeping me informed is iMessage. My Dad particularly loves to keep me updated with the news, different quotes, and just updates on anything that is going on in his life. This goes for the rest of my family too. I can keep in touch with my grandmother, who is not tech-savvy. I believe that the only way of getting a good conversation through the phone is either a phone call or text messaging. With social media platforms, it is easy to lose touch with people, but with messaging, you need to put in the effort to reach out to someone. My family still keeps in touch with what is going on in the world and we can have conversations about them too.