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According to a Pew Research poll from August 2021, roughly three-quarters of U.S. adults say it is either somewhat or very likely that social media platforms censor political viewpoints that differ from their own. While majorities in both the Democratic and Republican parties think the platforms do censor, this same poll revealed it’s more of an issue for Republicans. Straight Arrow News contributor Star Parker argues that users of social media — including tech companies — are threatening Americans’ right to free speech by silencing conservative voices:
In the last 15 years, social media has no doubt taken over as the town square for public discussion. But similar to what we’ve seen for far longer amongst national news publications and networks, great efforts are taken to silence the voices of conservatives.
This is why, in part, the story of Elon Musk potentially taking over Twitter has been a dominating news story for months now. And it may be a reason he states, on Twitter, that he was switching his votes this year from Democrats to Republicans.
A 2020 Pew Research survey found that 69% of Republicans and Republican leaners say major technology companies generally support the views of liberals over conservatives, compared with 25% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.
It’s why a federal appeals court this year reinstated a Republican-backed Texas law that prohibits large social media companies from banning users over their political viewpoints.
It’s why you saw President Donald Trump banned from Twitter, but not leaders of the Taliban as they retook Afghanistan last year. Being able to use Twitter to spread propaganda was an incredibly useful and strategic tool in the Taliban’s path to power.
Meanwhile, so many liberals continue to play the game of shutting down voices they don’t agree with. According to a Cato Institute/YouGov national survey late last year, liberals are nearly three times more likely than conservatives to say that they have reported another user to a social media company for sharing offensive content or false information. Among social media users, 65% of strong liberals and 44% of moderate liberals say they have done this. That’s compared to 32% of moderates, 21% of moderate conservatives, and 24% of strong conservatives.
But it’s no secret that this kind of culture to silence and suppress has been going on for quite a while.
