Social Media and Freedom of Speech in Malaysia - Essay Example

Social Media and Freedom of Speech in Malaysia

Introduction.

• Topic introduction
• The thesis of the paper
• Social media promotes biasness
• Social media promote fake news
• Promotion of cyberbullying
• Infringe of a person’s privacy
• Articulate hateful religious messages
• Promote hate speech
• Enhance illegal undertakings
• Promote unhealthy business undertakings and corruption
• Misreport of information

Conclusion

• Restate the thesis statement
• Recommendation

Social Media and Freedom of Speech in Malaysia

Freedom of speech is an essential human right because it helps people express different ideas. It also determines the functions of various democracies. Hence, people can know how their government is doing and how people exercise opposition, thereby acts as a channel that individuals can use to demand accountability. Freedom of speech needs to be justified, should be defined, and must be exceptional. Hence, people should draw between what they can say and what they cannot articulate. Social media can be a significant channel that people use to communicate and share information. In this regard, it can aid freedom of speech because individuals can express themselves through social media platforms. However, freedom of speech has sparked debates in many communities. For example, during the time the Malaysian government was restructuring its administration, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, many Malaysian citizens have allegedly been accused of promoting the aspects of freedom of speech negatively. Hence, there are a few cases of misusing social media on matters of freedom of speech. From a personal perspective, this statement is true. Therefore, this paper analyzes how people have been misusing social media in Malaysia and other parts of the world.

Internet users have used social media to promote biasness. People have different political preferences, and they have used social media to enhance biasness in politics. The aspect leads to political hatred because the ideologies are spread without an understanding and knowledge if this information is true or false ("Creating a Culture of Fear," 2015). The politicians and political parties can use the Malaysian citizens to spread the hate on social media because if they do this by themselves, they can be held accountable. Political hatred may be seen as a normal thing, but it can negatively affect a nation, considering Malaysia is multiracial. For instance, social media has been used to spark political hatred in the GST implementation, 1MDB matter, and a hike in gas prices (Chinnasamy & Manaf, 2018). Netizens do not want to miss out on this matter, and many internet users are quick in sharing what they hear because this matter has been shared internationally. The internet provides a significant platform for people to share the information because it is used by many persons, especially during this moment since most people are at home, and the internet is the best way they use to communicate. Since political hatred can spark conflict in a nation, individuals who engage in this should be arrested to act as an example to others so that Malaysia can maintain peace and harmony because peaceful coexistence is essential in any nation (Chinnasamy & Manaf, 2018).

Social media has also been used to spread fake news. People have been spreading false information and rumors about the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, this sparks uncertainty and fear among Malaysian citizens. Typically, Covid-19 has resulted in fear among people because it is a global pandemic that does not have a cure. However, rumors circulating on social media have worsened this because stories are on social media about where it originated, how it is spread, and excessive conspiracy theories surrounding the disease. However, the state curbed this by introducing a website that people can use to access factual information about this ailment. Amid the pandemic, social media has been used to spread false information in Malaysia and other parts of the globe because social media information comes from different parts of the world. As such, the credibility of information should be enhanced so that this can be controlled. For instance, Malaysian communication takes stern action against any media house or person found of spreading fake news about the pandemic and other sensitive issues in the nation, such as political matters. The fake news can instill hatred towards leaders and the state (Chinnasamy & Manaf, 2018). Nevertheless, the state should be open to criticism because it shows if it is democratic or not, but social media should not misuse it by spreading fake news, which can spark hatred.

Social media has also misused freedom of speech in Malaysia through promoting cyberbullying. People have been abusing their fellows through the internet because they think nothing can be done unto them. To a significant extent, social media promotes cyberbullying because many people do not think before posting or commenting on something. In essence, many social media users may see this as something they do for fun and assume that it cannot impact on another person. Social media has misused freedom of speech because individuals can start an offensive rumor about another person because they do not like them. Similarly, one can upload their embracing photo to hurt them. A person can engage in cyberbullying and claim that this was a prank. Many social media users can be anonymous and send a message or a voice recording abusing another person. In this regard, social media aids in the misuse of freedom of speech in Malaysia and other parts of the globe. When a person goes anonymous, there are minimal chances of them getting caught, and this makes it easier for many individuals in the nation to use social media to body shame another person or make fun of their peers (Chinnasamy & Manaf, 2018). People can hack into another person’s account, then send pictures or even chat in the name of having fun. Hence, social media has abused freedom of speech by promoting cyberbullying.

Social media has affected the privacy of people in Malaysia in the name of freedom of speech. In essence, this is mostly used by a company’s employees who engage in verbal abuse, a move that can damage the reputation of a company, and leak confidential information. The people in opposition can also use social media to leak government information that the citizens should not access because it can either spark panic or cause conflict. For instance, it can leak information about the country's military undertakings, yet this should not be disclosed to the Malaysian citizens (Chinnasamy & Manaf, 2018). In an organization, the employees have used social media to insult their employers on sensitive organizational matters such as its secrets. An employee can post private information out of anger because one can easily say the company’s information was hacked. Notably, a person can comment on a company’s website regarding some private information such as a launch of a new product, and this information can be used by the company’s competitors to bring the business down. Social media has affected the spread of information, in that a piece of information can reach many people at the same time. In this regard, people can misuse the freedom of speech through this platform and give private information to the public.

Some Malaysian citizens have also misused freedom of speech on social media by providing hateful religious information. As mentioned earlier, Malaysia is a multiracial nation with many religions. However, people may take advantage of social media and spread religious hatred by providing false information about various religions. For instance, there have been cases where individuals claim that Islamic religion promotes terrorism, yet this is false information (Chinnasamy & Manaf, 2018). The Islamic religion does not support the killing of the people or any terrorist activities. Hence, people can use social media to spread hate and justify their selfish agendas and opinions. In essence, people are free to say whatever they want, but they should be vigilant of what they say because this affects other folks as well. As such, social media has been used to spread religious propaganda, an act that can cause hatred among people. Thus, it is vital to read comments on social media sites and not take any information on such sites to disapprove such a piece of false information. Typically, social media connects people from different backgrounds, and it cannot be easy to spot a person who has an ill motive in doing something. Hence, people can use this to provide false religious information while claiming that they are exercising their freedom of speech. In this regard, it can damage the reputation of other people and affect responsible behavior.

The Malaysian also may use social media to insult politicians and propagate hate speech. A person may misuse their freedom of speech by attacking another person based on their ethnicity, race, gender, national background, sexual orientation, and disability through social media and go unpunished ("Creating a Culture of Fear, "2015). In essence, this is generally applicable where the person is anonymous or uses a fake identity because this can be easily done on social media. However, censorship can help in disapproving such a piece of information. As mentioned earlier, social media has been used to provide false and unreliable information. For instance, a Malaysian journalist, Tashny Sukumaran, had to face questioning after providing false information about immigration raids in Malaysia ("Malaysia: New Government Backslides on Free Speech," 2020). However, the place had enhanced movement as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. An individual can create a fake email account and use this to corn people or provide misleading information. Defamation is one way that makes people misuse social media so that they can speak ill or spread rumors about the Malaysian government or influential people in Malaysia. Several cases of insults have been reported in Malaysia, and some cases involve misogynistic comments on Facebook and Twitter on political and social issues in the nation. A person can also use social media to incite unrest, thereby causing violence against a person or group. For instance, a lawyer delivered a speech that caused a racial hatred in the country, yet he said he is exercising his freedom of speech.

Social media has been misused through advocating for illegal undertakings in the nation. In some instances, people may use fighting words to spark conflict and violence in society while claiming they were expressing their freedom of speech (Govindarajan & Ravindar, 2016). Social media can be used to impersonate a person and later record a hateful message, which can affect the peaceful coexistence of the Malaysian citizens. Terrorist organizations can express themselves through the dark web and sensitize youths to engage in illegal activities. For instance, they can tell them how the government has failed in its undertakings and oppresses the people. In this sense, people who will be swayed may start engaging in illegal activities, thinking they are punishing the government, yet they affect other citizens. Some opposition politicians may use social media to sensitize youths to loot property so that the state can hear them out only for this to cause a revolution or conflict in the nation. A person can also say engaging in theft is not bad if you are starving. In this regard, the platform will have been used to promote illegal undertakings. Some Malaysian youths propagate the use of drugs and engage in illegal activities by expressing this on social media.

Social media has been used to create unfair business competition and spreading corruption. A person may damage another company's reputation while claiming that they are expressing their freedom of speech. For instance, the McDonalds Restaurant had to deal with false information on social media that the business was supporting Zionist and terrorism in Israeli. As such, the company had to clear its name because the social media messages were spreading faster, which could damage its reputation. In this regard, it could have lost its customers because of the false social media message. As such, competing businesses can misuse the platform to come up with unfair competition through circulating false social media messages while claiming they are free to express their ideas. Markedly, a misuse of freedom of speech on social media, can be used by influential individuals such as bloggers to spread corruption in the nation. For instance, they can claim that they must be corrupt for a person to obtain financial freedom because the top executives are also engaging in the same and are not caught. The individuals who will buy this narrative may start engaging in corruption due to the social media message they received. Hence, freedom of speech on social media may spark corruption and result in unfair business practices. However, a suggestion to disapprove of information in this manner is filtering information and holding individuals accountable for their words and actions.

Social media has also increased misreport of the state statements regarding the Covid-19 pandemic ("Malaysian government threatens 'stern action' against online media that misreport COVID-19 stories – IFEX," 2020). The move made the state instruct the police and other law enforcement agencies about this matter. For example, individuals quote their figures on the number of infections, death rates, and relevant data on the pandemic. They provide misleading information on official state statements. In essence, this can lead to misguided action in the nation because there will be so much information that people cannot filter if it is true or false, and they can start believing it (Govindarajan & Ravindar, 2016). The state is mandated to provide a public order on crucial matters such as medical and health issues. For instance, it warns, educates, and informs the public on strict measures to be taken. However, social media freedom of speech has undermined this by giving out a lot of misinformation on state statements. Thus, to disapprove of this, scrutiny of information is necessary. Typically, the state should filter the information that people can access, and this can be done by utilizing both local and international media houses in the nation. During this crucial time, the state has been providing reports on the Covid-19 pandemic. However, people may strive to analyses this through social media and end up misquoting what the government officials have said ("Malaysian government threatens 'stern action' against online media that misreport COVID-19 stories – IFEX," 2020). The act is misconduct and entails the use of freedom of speech negatively because it affects people's confidence in their government.

In summation, many Malaysians have negatively used freedom of speech. People misuse social media in many ways in the name of expressing their freedom of speech. Social media application has been growing each day. Thus, it is crucial to keep this pace with the dynamic world. Currently, a lot of information is circulating on social media, and people are not ready to tolerate the consequences of social media misuse. In essence, this can lead to strange and unaccepted behavior in society. If social media use is not regulated, various outcomes will mount up. The use of social media has been on the rise among the young population, and they use this to exercise their freedom of speech. However, some vices may go unnoticed, and this is what makes people misuse social media in articulating political ideas of health concerns, especially during a pandemic like the Covid-19. Misuse of social media can promote discrimination and propagate hate in society. Despite the help, social media offers people; it can also blind them. In essence, people should secure their future and avoid creating a negative impact on others' lives. In this regard, despite the increase in social media use, it is vital to prevent its misuse regarding freedom of speech and expression in Malaysia. However, the information on the misuse of social media can be approved or disapproved through the ethical approval criteria.

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Some Malaysian citizens have also misused freedom of speech on social media by providing hateful religious information. As mentioned earlier, Malaysia is a multiracial nation with many religions. However, people may take advantage of social media and spread religious hatred by providing false information about various religions. For instance, there have been cases where individuals claim that Islamic religion promotes terrorism, yet this is false information (Chinnasamy & Manaf, 2018). The Islamic religion does not support the killing of the people or any terrorist activities. Hence, people can use social media to spread hate and justify their selfish agendas and opinions. In essence, people are free to say whatever they want, but they should be vigilant of what they say because this affects other folks as well. As such, social media has been used to spread religious propaganda, an act that can cause hatred among people. Thus, it is vital to read comments on social media sites and not take any information on such sites to disapprove such a piece of false information. Typically, social media connects people from different backgrounds, and it cannot be easy to spot a person who has an ill motive in doing something. Hence, people can use this to provide false religious information while claiming that they are exercising their freedom of speech. In this regard, it can damage the reputation of other people and affect responsible behavior.

The Malaysian also may use social media to insult politicians and propagate hate speech. A person may misuse their freedom of speech by attacking another person based on their ethnicity, race, gender, national background, sexual orientation, and disability through social media and go unpunished ("Creating a Culture of Fear, "2015). In essence, this is generally applicable where the person is anonymous or uses a fake identity because this can be easily done on social media. However, censorship can help in disapproving such a piece of information. As mentioned earlier, social media has been used to provide false and unreliable information. For instance, a Malaysian journalist, Tashny Sukumaran, had to face questioning after providing false information about immigration raids in Malaysia ("Malaysia: New Government Backslides on Free Speech," 2020). However, the place had enhanced movement as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. An individual can create a fake email account and use this to corn people or provide misleading information. Defamation is one way that makes people misuse social media so that they can speak ill or spread rumors about the Malaysian government or influential people in Malaysia. Several cases of insults have been reported in Malaysia, and some cases involve misogynistic comments on Facebook and Twitter on political and social issues in the nation. A person can also use social media to incite unrest, thereby causing violence against a person or group. For instance, a lawyer delivered a speech that caused a racial hatred in the country, yet he said he is exercising his freedom of speech.

Social media has been misused through advocating for illegal undertakings in the nation. In some instances, people may use fighting words to spark conflict and violence in society while claiming they were expressing their freedom of speech (Govindarajan & Ravindar, 2016). Social media can be used to impersonate a person and later record a hateful message, which can affect the peaceful coexistence of the Malaysian citizens. Read More