Ignore the ignoramuses
Social media has given newfound freedom. It is hailed as a new horizon in freedom of speech, since it gives everyone the opportunity to have their say.
Freedom of speech has, however, never been about everyone having their say. Freedom of expression has always been about safeguarding against censorship and silence.
Social media has allowed news to reach people in real time. You can follow the cricket as it happens, ball by ball, on social media. But it has also given people the licence to say what they want and how they want, without being held accountable.
Freedom of expression is mangled and abused on a daily basis on social media, but none more so than in blogs about Guyanese politics. The most vitriolic exchanges take place on blogs discussing Guyanese politics.
Very often the exchanges are about race and about allegations of who is racial and who is not, and which group does what and which does not. These exchanges add nothing to the debate on issues in Guyana. They are an abuse of freedom of speech.