S.

Wright

Freedom of Speech isn't Free

Social media is one of the main avenues to be aware of how we relay messages.
Despite any first amendment right to free speech, revealing ones personal information
on social networking sites and commenting negative responses can possibly put
individuals in a negative situation for future jobs or promotions.
Tread carefully on social media, your most favored post can very well be your
last as an employed worker, or a registered college student at a university. How can
college students both impact their culture with speech plus and symbolic speech and
stay out of trouble with police? Can we have silent protest or wear political inspired
shirts. This question has become a dogma for the youth in the social media realm. How
can your freedom of speech cost you a job, or assist in your advancement? When did
social media become big brother of our economical status of our future.
As you enter into adulthood or into the workforce you must be conscious of your
actions. Dont put yourself in a position to fail when you have the keys of success.
Saying what you want, although is free speech, a will continually put you behind the
gate of life. I n your plight for your continued freedom of speech,keep in mind, there are
two types of speech that you need to be familiar with. If you decide that social media is
a pariah of your existence and you want to protect your rights, first you need to know
your rights.
Pure speech is the verbal expression of thoughts and opinions before a
voluntary audience. The courts have generally provided strong protection of pure
speech from government regulation. Speech-plus involves actions, such as

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demonstrating or protesting, as well as words. Speech-plus is not generally protected as

strictly as is pure speech, because actions can be physically dangerous .
Furthermore,the courts have ruled that demonstrators may not obstruct traffic, endanger
public safety, or trespass illegally (Clear and Present Danger Tests).
Symbolic speech technically involves no speech at all, but involves symbols that
the court have judged to forms of free expression, such as wearing armbands in
solidarity, group pins or t-shirts (Clear and Present Danger Test). Some might say it is
a cliche but in most instances actions do speak louder than words. It is found true that
symbolic speech is seen as highly controversial.
In the article The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and
Families, O'Keeffe and Pearson state that One of the biggest threats to young
people on social media sites is to their digital footprint and future reputations.
Preadolescents and adolescents who lack an awareness of privacy issues often post
inappropriate messages, pictures, and videos without understanding that what goes
online stays online. Furthermore, future jobs and college acceptance may be put into
jeopardy by inexperienced and rash clicks of the mouse.
Even as future college students or actively enrolled college students, your social
media post can cause grave consequences if not handled properly. For example,two
students, one who was currently enrolled in Kansas State University didn't think that
their freedom of speech would be threatened when they decided to put a insensitive
picture with captions of negative condensation about a African American person.
Shoemaker, one of the women in the photo, stated he made a joke about us being

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black now Shoemaker told the Washington Post We took the picture thinking that it
would be okay, our intent was NEVER to offend anyone nevertheless it ultimately
caused their expulsion. Freedom of speech is still free but at what cost are you willing
to pay on your future?
Free speech is one of the most cherished liberties, but free speech often conflicts
with other rights and liberties. The courts have had to consider the question, "What are
the limits of free speech?"
How do we know what is not considered free speech? In 1919 The "clear and
present danger" test is a basic principle for deciding the limits of free speech. Clear and
present danger test was a doctrine adopted by the Supreme Court of the United States
to determine under what circumstances limits can be placed on First Amendment's
freedoms of speech, press, or assembly (Clear and Present Danger Test).In other
words the test allows us to assess if our speech is violated or in compliance with the
First Amendment.
From the Article Free Speech, Social Media and your Job, by John Hyman
wrote in a survey in 2016, 41 percent of American workers say they believe that getting
fired,because of social media post, is an infringement of their First Amendment Rights.
In the same recruitment tool social media entrepreneur Natalie Zaft has found 94
percent of recruiters used social media as talent scouts in 2015 by (JobVite.)
Freedom of Speech isn't always free. Our constitution gave us the freedom of
speech, but equally in the same token our jobs and social groups can take this very

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thing away from us. We must have a conscious dialog about what we say and how we
say them that will inadvertently affect your future.

Social media is one of the main avenues to be aware of how we relay messages.
Despite your enable right of the first amendment, revealing ones personal information
on social networking sites and commenting negative responses can possibly put
individuals in a negative situation for future jobs or promotions.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of individuals losing out on a job

prospect due to their lack of attention to their digital footprint. In an article reported in the
Independent, John Meagher tells us when the job market is as competitive as it is, why
disadvantage yourself even before interview stages. Your media profile picture can also
convey the wrong message. First impressions are truly lasting impressions. Social
media is still in the beginning levels but alone the same lines seems to have an inflated
impact respectively on future job endeavours.
Admittedly, there are instances that freedom of speech has been protected. In
2011 as case R
.S. v. Minnewaska Area School District a middle school student sued
the school district alleging the school violated her First and Fourth Amendment Rights.
The Minnewaska School District motioned for a dismissal but the The U.S. District
Judge Michael J. Davis dismissed the claim. Judge Davis cited the reasons being that
her statements about the school monitor while off campus was merely inappropriate
online speech. School officials cannot punish a student for inappropriate online speech

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unless it caused a substantial disruption through threat or speech. Although it is true

that R.S. has an expectation of privacy to her social media information the judge stated
the case is still in its infancy.
Clearly the argumentative reasons that I have addressed are important to your
future. Freedom of speech is truly our right but moreover it leads to not truly being free
as giving in our Constitution. The typed characters you share with your friends,
followers, and family can consequently cause you to walk a thin line into an
uncomfortable situation. T
his article is about the pros and cons of media, jobs and the
issues of online speech in social media. It shows that your words are ultimately your
own and the consequences behind them either good or bad will be a deciding factor in
your future as students and future employees. Your social footprints are as important
now as your fingerprints for identity, both can tell who you are as a person. W
isdom i s
the principal thing; t herefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.(KJV)

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Works Cited
Social Media Can Monitor Itself,and Protect Free Speech
Rafeal O. Gomez, trial attorney at LoTempio & Brown, P.C. 2014, Dec.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/12/03/should-facebook-do-more-to-monitor-violent-e
xpressions/social-media-can-monitor-itself-and-protect-free-speech

The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800
Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, Council on Communications and
Media, Pediatrics Apr 2011, 127 (4)
BARAK, AHARON. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ITS LIMITATIONS. Kesher / , no.
8, 1990, pp. 4
e11e. h
ttp://www.jstor.org/stable/23902900

Freedom of Speech, Social Media and your Job, John Hyman, 2016,September 8
http://www.clomedia.com/2016/09/14/34577/
workplacefairness.org
Why your digital footprint could ruin your career John Meagher
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/beware/why-your-digital-footprint-could-ruin-your-c
areer-31089000.html
The Clear and Present Danger Test
ttp://lhaw2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/conlaw/clear&pdanger.htm

Note to school officials: Be wary of punishing students for online speech/ David
Hudson Jr. First Amendment Scholar
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/note-to-school-officials-be-wary-of-punishing-students-for-o
nline-speech

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