Online social media platforms are starkly different from reality. They are characterized by relative anonymity and the ability to share contents worldwide with one simple click. There’s no denying that the emergence of social media has allowed a more active interchange of ideas and opinions, but the dangers of this fast, unrestricted exchange have also been brought to light. Censorship of content is an extra layer of protection from the inappropriate decisions of some social media users.

The most quoted argument against content moderation on social media is that freedom of speech is suppressed and diversity in opinions is limited, which contradicts the main purpose of social media. However, if respect for the differences between people is ignored for the sake of freedom of speech, would users feel safe in voicing their opinions on social media? Contrary to expectations, some control of extreme views may be necessary to allow an increase in diversity of perspectives shared.

Lack of control on online platforms may also harm individuals directly. Proliferation of inappropriate content, news, and rumors — especially those related to public figures — ignite  uncontrolled criticism and hateful comments that can cause mental distress to an individual. To make matters worse, research shows that the effect of “herd mentality” is greater on social media, where people follow the consensus even if it doesn’t align with their own thoughts. Many Korean celebrities have fallen victim to online “trolls” on social media, who post disparaging comments and spread rumors that, at times, leads to unwanted media attention. Depression due to online criticism has been pointed to as the cause of the handful of celebrity suicides in recent years. Censorship can be thought of as one method to regulate and protect people from this kind of online harassment.

It is true that the current algorithms for content moderation on social media platforms are not perfect — as some people claim, there may be unintentional bias and the standards for what gets censored are yet to be fully established. Artificial intelligence tools employed by companies may also have inaccuracies in detecting which contents are appropriate and which are not. However, does this mean that we need to completely distrust the notion of censorship? These are problems that can be addressed by improving the algorithms over time.

And it is not as though completely blocking others from viewing a post is the only form of censorship. During the US elections, questionable claims by President Trump on Twitter were labeled with phrases such as “This claim about election fraud is disputed”. This allows users to view and post freely while letting them formulate their opinions based on accurate perspectives and facts.

Fact-checking the claims of more well-known, influential figures is particularly important. Social media is increasingly being integrated into our lives as a main source of information, and our own beliefs are affected by the information we gather. As the claims of those with authority are more likely to be widely shared online and taken as a truth, the accuracy of their assertions is crucial. In particular, the spread of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic has largely been through social media, from claims that COVID-19 is no more harmful than the flu to conspiracy theories about vaccines. Facebook has recently responded to the increase in misinformation by removing posts with disproved claims. In uncertain times like this, social media companies have a responsibility to fact-check content on their platforms to avoid unnecessarily increasing anxiety, which may bring about broader socioeconomic effects. 

As much as freedom of expression should be guaranteed, it is also important that actions on social media do not harm other individuals and the society at large. It has historically been clear that the lack of restraining measures leads people to be less considerate online and that we cannot blindly trust them to be responsible for their actions and words on these platforms. Controlling content to a certain degree is necessary to ensure protection of those vulnerable to the freedom of social media.