Regulation Of First Amendments Role In Regulating Social Media

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Introduction
Technology today is an everyday essential tool used for almost every task done throughout the day. With the evolution of advanced technology, media, along with its forms of distribution, has evolved as well. Popular social media sites that allow you to express yourself on the internet are direct results of the growth of modern day technology. With the growth of social media and people’s free reign to post what they like as they feel, regulating laws and the First Amendment’s restrictions on what is and is not protected come into question. This has created todays debate on the ethical aspect of regulating social media and the First Amendments role in protection of modern day media, raising questions such as should the law protect …show more content…

Whether it is social media sites, a newspaper, radio, or television, everybody is entitled to the same privileges granted in the first amendment. This means one is free to say what he/she wants. However, there are also laws protecting others from problems, such as defamation, that may result from an individual’s use of First Amendment privileges. According to Drucker and Gumpert (p. 49) in the Simorangkir v. Love case, upon becoming angry at the actions of Simorangkir, Love issued 10 allegedly defamatory tweets on Twitter. Simorangkir responded to the violent abuse with a lawsuit for defamation, false light, invasion of privacy, intention infliction of emotional distress, and breach of contract. Simorangkir was able to prove acts of defamation, resulting in Love paying over $430,000 in …show more content…

In the past, everything from your name, birthday, address, email and telephone number was considered private information. However, with many social media sites today it is a requirement to provide your personal information in order to use these sites. Beyond the required information, many now people volunteer information without a second thought, that was once considered private on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. This includes your location, your pictures and videos, and other social media sites you use. It is not considered an invasion on privacy when you volunteer information but what about the information taken that isn’t