Social Media: The Check

There are eight values that go with free expression: Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation and Protect Dissent. Free expression facilitates each of these values within the United States, or at the very least is meant to. Of the Eight Values of Free Expression, the one that I find the most important is Check on Governmental Power. Accountability is necessary in a democracy. Although the United States government holds itself accountable through checks and balances of the branches, it ought to also be kept in check by its principal, the people. In The Checking Value in First Amendment Theory, Vince Blasi explains free expressions, and its role in keeping a check on the abuses of government. With an ever-changing political and social climate, it is necessary and important for the government to be held responsible. 

Although Check on Governmental Power is just one of the Eight Values of Free Expression, it actually encapsulates the essence of some other values. For one, Check on Governmental Power and Participation in Government go hand-in-hand. Free expression acts as a source of information for citizens. Without free expression, citizens may not have the ability to make wise and informed decisions in elections. With elections being one way of holding the government accountable, the type of knowledge acquired through free expression is the knowledge necessary to keep the government in check.

Check on the Government also relates to the value of Protecting Dissent. The First Amendment was instituted to ensure the protection of minority views, even despite its unpopularity. Free expression was meant to help in the prevention of mob rule, but it was also meant to protect a citizen’s freedom to disagree with the government. As argued by Steve Shiffrin in Dissent, Injustice, and the Meanings of America, dissent ought to be promoted as it is the core of free speech. Free Expression and dissent combat injustice. It acts as a check on the government by allowing citizens to express their grievances with their government. Without free expression, or if it were suppressed, the government would not be made aware of the injustices they commit. 

To make more sense of this idea of checking governmental power, we can look at how social media is being used today in the US government. We live in an age where US politicians and offices have their own social media accounts to spread their own news and ideas, and connect with the people better. Many everyday citizens use social media to collect their news, whether it be directly from a politician or office’s account, or from another account. From there, many people will repost the news they find, or share news they have read about, often expressing grievances they have with the government. Free expression regarding the government on social media is almost like a cycle this way: read and repost. With many members of the US government having social media accounts, the citizens’ read and repost cycle gets the attention of the government. Social media has become a major amplifier of Americans’ voices in government. In this way, it has served as a major checking tool on governmental powers as it is a news source for participation in self-government, and amplifies dissents.

In the United States, we see the most exchange between the government and Americans when social media is brought into play. Social media has encouraged more and more Americans to vote since the 2008 election, and played a tremendous role in the recent 2020 election. Social media has also played a major role in amplifying the voice of the minority, more specifically women and people of color in recent years in regards to Roe v. Wade and Black Lives Matter. Free expression is not a new practice in the United States by any means. However, free expression now has the opportunity to be amplified more than ever with social media. Voices from all around the world can be shared with anyone. With that, people have more access to knowledge and resources. There is more pressure on citizens to speak out on the injustices their government commits and hold the government accountable.

Being politically active in this day and age has made me resonate with the value of checking governmental power more than any other value. As a young adult who uses social media relatively regularly, I see lots of posts regarding the US and foreign governments quite frequently. Most of these posts are expressing dissent towards the governments, and seem to be meant to rally support behind that dissent. Eventually, I cannot make it through my feed without the same dissent coming across my screen with each consecutive post at times. It is something I find interesting and useful in politics. The mere effect of one person posting a dissent and the chain reaction of people reposting the same is astonishing. Social media is a powerful tool as it reaches such an extensive audience.

Supreme Court of the United States

I have been infatuated by the United States Supreme Court from a very early age. In fact, the history of the Supreme Court has inspired me to take up history as my major, apply to law school and pursue law as a career. I have spent a significant amount of time studying the Supreme Court and the United States legal system as a whole; I have even dedicated my undergraduate research to the creation and foundation of the Supreme Court. I find a lot of beauty, and also disaster, within the United States Supreme Court.

Because I have spent a lot of time studying the Supreme Court, there was not much from the article Supreme Court or video on the Supreme Court that was new information to me. One thing I did find a bit surprising with the United States Supreme Court from Supreme Court is the fact that it is considered the most powerful judicial body on Earth. When I think of the US government, I typically think of the Supreme Court being the least powerful branch. Granted, US judicial power has expanded immensely since Marbury v. Madison in 1803, I was surprised that there was not another other judicial body in the world that held more power than the US.

I also learned of the specific mannerism between the Justices that is meant to help the Court run more smoothly. For one, each Justice shakes all the other Justices’ hands before discussing and reviewing. This is to prevent the Justices from holding grudges against one another. The Justices also make sure that each Justice has spoken once before any of them are able to speak for a second time or more. It is nice to know that the Justices emphasize respect for one another. Court can be very trying, and there is a lot of pressure on these Justices who do not share all the same conscience. To know that the Justices make an effort to respect one another for the ease of the Court gives me a new appreciation for Justices.

I will not lie, as a history student interested in going into law, I have looked up to the Supreme Court and its Justices. Whether it be a good or a bad thing, I used to idolize the Court at a very young age. With that, expectations were set high for Supreme Court Justices and myself. However, after listening to the Justices discuss what the Court is like in Supreme Court, I was surprised yet comforted. Many of the Justices mentioned that it took quite some time for them to grow acclimated with the new environment they faced. There was comfort in knowing that the Justices had felt like they jumped in head first and that it took some time to adjust, even despite their previous experience. I used to think that the Justices walked into their position well prepared, as if they were born for the role. Apparently, this is not the case. Now, some may find it discomforting that the Justices are not exactly sure what they are doing as Supreme Court Justice during their first couple of years, it makes me gain a little more respect for them. It humanizes them, and I think that is important to have when it comes to people in government.

Between the articles and the video, the key aspect I took away was that there is no inside story of the court; there is only conversation for all to hear. The way the Court functions is meant to flow like a conversation. The Justices are not there to condescend people or scare them, or politicize the issue. They are there to focus on a specific aspect of the brief, ask questions for points of clarification, not necessarily to prove a point. The Court’s job is not to politicize, and it is not to be a terrifying process hidden from Americans. The point of the Supreme Court is to ensure the promise of equal justice under law for the all American people. They are responsible to the law and the people.

My Sources of News

When I was younger, my mother would put on News 12 Long Island as we got ready for work and school. This was my introduction to the news. As a child, I was rather intrigued with the news and would watch it almost everyday with my mother. Even in college, I still keep up to date with News 12 Long Island. Although it offers various sections of news, including global news, I mainly read articles related to local news in Long Island. Even though I am away at college, I still like to keep up to date with Long Island news. Long Island news may not be relevant to most people in the United States, I do highly recommend keeping up with your local news, even if you are away. It is good to stay updated on news at home, to see what changes may have occurred, or what your friends and family at home are witnessing and enduring. I enjoy reading News 12 Long Island because everytime I go home, I do not feel out of the loop. I have a better understanding of day-to-day life of friends and family. Also, as a registered voter in New York, News 12 Long Island is a great way to stay in the loop with local politics

Upon arriving at college, most, if not all of my news used to come solely from my Political Science professor. I am happy to say that I have been reading more sources since my arrival, but discussing current events with my Political Science professors is what got me interested in current events in the first place. Referring to your professors for current events, especially Political Science is a good place to start with news sources. I found that my classes would discuss current events and I would hear many different opinions and takes on the news. It is interesting to hear all the different inputs from my fellow classmates and the commentary offered by my professors. From there, I would often go to look up the news myself as I had grown intrigued by our discussions in class. The good thing about Political Science courses is that the class is up to date with news. Hearing about what is going on in the world from my professors kept me up to date on the news. Without class discussions, I would honestly not be as updated on current events.

The first semester of my junior year, I took an American Politics course. The professor had asked us to get a subscription to The Washington Post so that we can stay updated on current events, and for weekly news quizzes. Even after the semester was finished, and after I no longer needed to stay updated specifically with The Washington Post, I found myself still in the habit of checking The Washington Post’s feed in the morning and while waiting for my professors to start class. It was the first time I found myself regularly checking the news for pleasure and not for class. I found that The Washington Post was a good source to begin getting in the habit of reading the news daily. With the left-leaning tendencies of news sources in the United States, The Washington Post is one of the more centered-viewed sources. It also covers many different sections of news that may appeal to many readers. I found The Washington Post to be a good start to getting into news.

Recently, I have been referencing Live UA Map, more so in relation to the Russian-Ukrainian Crisis than anything else. This source was suggested to me by a friend after we were discussing the crisis.  Live UA Map offers live news on the crisis in Ukraine, with a live map that corresponds to the live news. This source offers the same for the United States, Russia, Syria, and a slew of other regions. It also has maps related to specific news regarding protests in the United States with corresponding live news. Live UA Map is great for those who enjoy visuals. The maps offer a lot of information as it shows updated territory lines, announcements from particular cities, recent hits a region has taken, casualties, with articles and media posts related to each for further explanation. The great thing about Live UA Map is that it takes news from various different sources. Live UA Map does not sway to one side or the other like most other news sources do. It includes various different sources, as well as media posts from people in the region.

The BBC has become a source of news I did not explicitly mean to follow. Nevertheless, the BBC has been a news source that I rely on quite frequently. As a history major, I have taken many British history courses and have grown very intrigued by Britain’s history. I would often reference BBC Documentaries and BBC history for class. With that, I have found that I have also been keeping up to date with the BBC News. I enjoy BBC News as it acts almost like a third-party. I enjoy reading the British take on American news as it tends to be a little more impartial on United States current events than American news sources. Furthermore, I enjoy reading about the British take on their own current events as American news sources do not have the same information. It is always good to have an outside news source like the BBC. It offers a little more insight than American news sources.

AP News is a news source I have just recently been reading frequently this past year. I refer to AP News for my source of news more than others. This source has a long history of being reliable, quick, and most importantly, impartial. As someone who does not like being told what to think, I truly appreciate the lack of bias from AP News. I find that their articles tend to be more factual than opinion, thus offering me a chance to gain knowledge on current events while forming my own opinions on recent news. With most American news sources lacking impartiality, it is difficult to find a reliable source of news. AP News is one of the few American news sources that allow you to form your own opinions rather than forcing an opinion onto you. It is important for people to have an unbiased news source like AP News. I would recommend AP News to anyone looking to get into keeping up to date with current events, and anyone who reads the news regularly due to its impartiality.