Social Media and the Obscenity Debate: Conservatist, Liberal, and Feminist Perspectives

A basic fundamental constitutional right of individuals in any society is the right to freedom of speech. Freedom of expression leads to the generation of idea. The right to freedom of speech is however not absolute because with freedom comes responsibility. As a fast, individualistic and interactive channel for sharing ideas, social media is a channel for the easy and effective communication between people from all over the world. This 21st century means of information-sharing poses a problem as all kinds of contents flow through the internet and there is no real means of regulation and control. The practice of posting and sharing obscene materials via social media platforms have sparked up debates the world over. The debate on how obscenity harms individuals and the society is ongoing and different schools of thought have taken varying stands on it. The conservatist, liberal and feminist thinkers have debated on obscenity (particularly pornography) and how its dissemination through the instrumentality of social media affects users negatively. The perspectives of scholars and the law on obscenity are discussed. This paper concludes by taking a stand on arguments for and against the effects of obscenity.