Performance Activity #2: Social Media Under Normative Theory

   Libertarian Theory says people are rational and their rational thoughts lead them to find out what are the good and the bad, true and the fallacious without any intervention or restriction from any authority- all of which can be said to social media.

     Social media sites especially Facebook and Twitter serves as the new platform for the press and the ordinary people themselves to reveal and spread the real things happening in the society. Since social media is a vast channel of distributing news and information, they are able to exercise this freedom without any censorship or any authority blockades.

    In addition, Libertarian theory gives more values for individuals to express their thoughts in media. Since people can freely post anything on these social media sites, they are also given the freedom to state their opinions about current issues and whatever is the talk of the day. Furthermore, the press can also express their opinions through editorial articles in social media sites without the intervention of any government authority.

        Clearly, social media has been an effective platform to exercise the freedom of expression with no forms of restraint from higher powers. Hence, the responsibility of limiting or inhibiting the opinions that the press or individuals will post lies within themselves. Something that the Libertarian theory tolerates.

        With that being said, on the downside, the press and the public can easily abuse that freedom. Since there is no intervention every time something is posted, they can spread anything they want. From secret government files, to individuals' personal and private information etc. 

         Libertarian theory is excessively positive about media's willingness to meet responsibilities and the people's ethics and rationality which may lead the people to negative aspects. This is happening in social media. Since the public and the press enjoys unlimited freedom, cases of leakages of confidential files, hoaxes and satirical fake news had come up overwhelmingly. Libertarian theory ignores the need for a reasonable control of media and dilemmas posed by conflicting freedoms- all of which seems to be also ignored in social media.