Social media, among other communication platforms, have revolutionized the way people interact and communicate in contemporary society. However, the freedom of expression that comes with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, among others, tends to throw away ownership rights of intellectual property created or generated by other users on social media platforms. For example, an artist may create a unique piece of art on social media and solicit other users to ask for his/her consent before sharing the piece of art. Berisha (2019) noted that: “an individual does not have the right to make use of someone else’s copyright work.” However, social media provides everyone the freedom to express themselves using other people’s artwork on their social media. Therefore, the freedom of expression granted by social media conflicts with digital intellectual property rights, as suggested by Kanwar and Evenson (2017).
While I might have the freedom to share my ideas and creations on social media, I might be exposing my unique ideas to plagiarism. For example, if I share a short story about my childhood experiences, I might not have the capacity to control its distribution by other users without my permission. In this case, my freedom of expression on social media overrides my ownership rights to my personal intellectual property.
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Moreover, one is allowed to share any form of multimedia on their social media platforms. If, for example, I share my pictures or videos on social media, I may lose control over the image since anyone who has access to the picture can share it. Additionally, digital platforms require users to fill in their personal information and bio. Whereas I might have the freedom to express myself on my bio, I might expose my private and confidential information to the public. In conclusion, it is quite evident that freedom of expression on digital platforms conflicts with ownership rights to digital intellectual property and online privacy.
References
Berisha, B. (2019). Platforms Regulation in the Digital Single Market Strategy-Illegal Content and Intellectual Property as a Key Challenge. European Research Studies , 22 (1), 186.
Kanwar, S., & Evenson, R. (2017). Does intellectual property protection spur technological change? Oxford Economic Papers , 55 (2), 235-264.
