Law & Language: Free Speech & Hate Speech Explored
Abstract
In an age long gone by yet not so long in the memory of some, nearly half a century and score decades ago, hate speech spread by propaganda led to one of the worst genocides that history has witnessed. At the other end of the spectrum, the right to free speech has led to a bridle that can help check many a times autocratic and authoritarian rule. Speech is a tool of language that leads humans to a means to expressing one’s view and communicate to exist in peaceful and ordered co-existence. It can be used to inspire and bring about social and lasting changes in all aspects of a person’s modern lifestyle. The same language can be used to discriminate, spread hatred and as well as lead to instigation of various more serious offenses that the law proscribes. The paper will be discussing we will be looking at the aspects of digital life intermingled with the traditional principles of law and as well as language by how social media platforms have become the new most vulnerable medium for propaganda that has on more than one occasion led to muzzling of free speech on the same social media platforms. Social media platforms have been brought under the obligation to monitor such speeches to a limited capacity on the basis of certain criteria that will be explored in this analysis. At the same time how such aspects have been dealt with by under law shall be dealt with a view to analyse the impacts of language and law on every individual who is a part of the social media network across various network platforms.
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