According to the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.". To describe it in more basic terms, the US Constitution protects the people's freedom of speech, as long as it is not incitement; therefore, citizens can say whatever they want and believe their own ideals and values, even if they disagree with the government. This freedom of expression has 8 values that detail why US citizens are so lucky to be protected under the First Amendment. Today, we will focus on the important value of self-actualization.
Psychologists study the above pyramid, known as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, to evaluate what humans need to feel comfortable, safe, and happy in their lives. At the top of the pyramid is the need for self-actualization - a desire to become the most that one can be. Not only do you need to complete the 4 previous levels of the pyramid to reach self-actualization, but freedom of expression is also super essential. In order to feel fully connected to other humans, we have to be able to communicate effectively and offer emotional intelligence in social, political, and other situations. According to the Supreme Court in the Procunier v. Martinez case as told by Rodney A. Smolla, "The First Amendment serves not only the needs of the polity but the needs of the human spirit - a spirit that demands self-expression.". This freedom of expression is not solely for opinionated expression about the government - it's also for the people's personal opinions. Self-fulfillment comes from the integrity of our identity and thoughts, however, these thoughts only become strong and complex through the communication and exchanges of ideas and values. These processes can only be properly completed and lead to self-fulfillment if the freedom of speech can be freely expressed and protected.
Freedom of speech is a truly important aspect of human life; we wouldn't be the technologically savvy, interpersonal people we are today without our access to freely expressed communication. As the years have moved on, another advancement in human life - social media - has greatly increased the value of self-actualization through freedom of expression. On platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, people can voice their opinions through photos, blogs, highlights, or retweets/shares. Usually, these opinions and thoughts help people present themselves more clearly and details how they want others to identify them. Are you a professional, or are you more immature and only looking for fun? Do you offer positive vibes to the community, or are you a narcissist who only looks toward negativity? Social media allows people to become whoever they want - an obvious step of reaching self-actualization since it is a desire to become the most one can be. This is especially evident in cases where people are 'fake' in real life, but will say anything behind the safety net - the computer screen. Social media helps people reach self-actualization by taking away some fear of embarrassment that people usually feel when expressing themselves through communication in public. That courage can be positive by encouraging people to come out of their shell and connect with new people or experiences, however, it can also be negative and increase shameful communication such as cyberbullying. Whichever way social media is used for, it increases the search for knowledge and thirst for personal identity that thrives on the ability to express how and why you feel a certain way with clear motivations and strong communication, without the fear of legal criticism by the government. Self-actualization relies on the foundation of a comfortability of one's self that can only be rewarded through interpersonal communication and confidence in protected speech.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/abraham-maslows-hierarchy-needs-social-media-chris-miller-ma/
https://uscivilliberties.org/themes/4465-self-fulfillment-theory-of-free-speech.html
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