Values of Free Expression Individual Self-Fulfillment

The eight values of free expression all hold their own importance. They all have their role they play in the free expression that we have the right to. The Marketplace of Ideas or the “Discovery of Truth” puts emphasis on the truth. The truth is thought to always win out over false information. This puts a lot of faith in man-kind and this value honors the truth. Participation in Self-Government revolves around having an informed electorate. This means that the people who vote will only make wise and informed choices if the candidate is able to fully communicate their positions. The third value, Stable Change is about society being able to speak their mind, which is a right that is important. The fourth value though, Individual Self-Fulfillment is what I find to be the most important and inspiring. Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation, and Protect Dissent all have their own reasons for being important, meaningful, and inspiring; but the fourth value really stuck out to me.

Individual Self-Fulfillment, also known as Self-Actualization is about creating your own identity. We have the right to free speech and this is what enables individuals to express themselves and therefore create who they are. They get to create their own identity which is an inspiration. Self- fulfillment is defined as the ability to make yourself happy and complete through your own efforts. As a college student working to complete their degree, I can understand the importance of paving your own path and finding who you are. From freshman year, to now senior year, I have grown and changed and become myself all because of the choices I have made and paths I have taken. I have the right to my own identity. Free speech is so important because it lets you be yourself and that is why this fourth value of Self-Fulfillment is so important.

A current example of a young person becoming who they are because of free speech is Greta Thunberg. She is 17 years old and standing up for what she believes in and fighting for her beliefs. As she does this, she is self-fulfilling her values. She is a young girl with a voice and she is becoming herself by using her voice. She shares her opinions and thoughts all the while becoming who she is. In the article attached to this post, it is said that Great Thunberg is trademarking her brand. This means that she is being who she is by voicing her thoughts. Nothing is stopping her from her self-fulfillment.

https://www.yourdictionary.com/self-fulfillment
https://www.cityam.com/by-trademarking-her-brand-greta-thunberg-has-turned-identity-marketing-on-its-head/

Google

Google was originally founded at Stanford in 1998. Being born in 1998, I literally have never lived without the tool and do not know how I would. Google has become a huge part of so many people’s lives. It was created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They met when touring Stanford for grad school, and within time started Google in their dorm. The original name they came up with for their technology was Backrub. Clearly, that did not stick and Google became the name that is known everywhere.

The technology specializes in internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. The pros and benefits of Google seem endless. To start, Google is such a popular search engine that it has become a verb. More often than not, people will say “Google it” when they are looking to find information. Along with that, Google owns multiple services used by billions of people. This include YouTube, Gmail, Google maps, Google Chrome, and more. These services make life easier for users and make things easier to share information. The technology of these services help people with daily task whether it is sending an email or getting directions.

A con of the Google technology is the concern of privacy. Google collects its user’s data and this can raise alarm for those who are on Google services such as the search engine, email or maps. Google can track you and collect your data. Privacy is lost when using Google services. Overall this seems to be a small price to pay when using the technology that can be helpful and useful to any person.

More than 70% of people around the world use Google which shows how beneficial the tool is. The pros far out way the cons. I use google every day and it has become a part of my daily tasks. I use it to look information up and for my email constantly. I know I am not the only person who relies heavily on Google and this is not something that will be changing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google