Member-only story
#BackDontBlock: He Shoots, And Scores!
Without voices to oppose, we do not have debate, and end up with a society which is controlled by those with the power to control
Let’s take a scenario. An advertiser for baby milk will not want their content to sit alongside a news item where there has been a killing at a school. Someone reading the story may then feel horror at the shooting, and which is likely to have a negative effect on the brand. It is thus well known that most advertisers do not want to advertise their products when there is a critical news item, and where the advertisement can just feel trivial. Thus, for years, advertisers have defined the conditions in which their adverts should appear. In newspapers this is often a well-crafted art, and where the whole newspaper is laid out, in order to provide a good space for advertisers, and which will comply with their restrictions.
Enter the Internet
Our world is increasingly driven by the Internet, and our old model of the media is struggling. But we must worry about our longer-term right to free speech when social media and cloud service companies set blanket restrictions on content. While I do not personally believe in those protesting against the lock-down, we must worry as a society that Facebook has started…
