Shadowing Practice: Should social media be censored? Here's what both sides have to say - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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There's been much debate this past year about freedom of speech and social media.
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There's been much debate this past year about freedom of speech and social media.
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We should err on the side of greater expression.
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They are literally spreading lies, misinformation, propaganda.
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Companies that engage in censoring or any political conduct will not be able to keep their liability shield.
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The dilemma, should social media companies censor speech that they deem to be hateful or violent or false?
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Or should they keep it up in the spirit of freedom of speech?
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And what happens when the speaker is an elected official?
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I believe that we have two responsibilities.
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To remove content when it can cause real danger as effectively as we can,
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and to fight to uphold as wide of a definition of freedom of expression as possible.
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Of course, the First Amendment doesn't legally apply to Facebook or to Twitter or to Instagram or YouTube.
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It was written solely to stop the government,
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not private companies, from censoring speech.
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The debate has intensified due to one particular post from President Donald Trump,
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When the looting starts, the shooting starts.
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Twitter placed a warning label on the tweet saying it glorified violence.
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Facebook did nothing.
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You could say that you're all for free speech,
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but you also need to protect society,
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especially when you're in the position Facebook is in.
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Mark Zuckerberg would say that he is standing for a democratic principle
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which is freedom of expression and he says
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that you know a private company like his who is he
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a billionaire to to be able to you know in some way restrict the speech of the president of the United States.
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Do you buy that argument?
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I do not.
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I think that that argument is entirely in Mark Zuckerberg's profit interest.
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I think what we're seeing is Mark Zuckerberg is saying,
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you know, I don't want to rile up the president.
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I don't want to invite regulatory action.
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I don't want to tick off the president's following, which also uses Facebook.
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And, you know, I don't want to alienate them from my own platform
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because that will detract from my own revenue and engagement on my own platform.
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But those who argue Facebook should operate in the spirit of free speech say it's a slippery slope to remove
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or even to fact check political speech.
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Where would you draw a line if you were Facebook when it comes to a Trump post?
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So I think that Facebook cordons off a couple of very narrow areas which are wise to
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shut down and that is things like misleading speech about elections themselves.
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If Trump posted Hey everyone,
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go vote on election day on this date,
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and it was the wrong date.
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I think that's reasonable to take down because it is timely and also obviously misleading.
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For things like hate speech,
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I think that people should know if the president is using hate speech.
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You don't think that Facebook should be fact-checking political ads?
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I don't trust Facebook to do a good job fact-checking political ads.
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A lot of political claims are tricky, are difficult to fact-check check.
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A lot of them are true but misleading.
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These are the kind of categories that the American people needs to hear a full debate about,
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not Mark Zuckerberg's idea of what the debate should be about.
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But in fact much of the philosophical debate about freedom of speech and social media has been just that, philosophical.
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In practice Facebook has taken down political posts.
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It took down an ad run by the Trump campaign,
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Twitter has labeled the president's tweets,
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and all the major platforms have rules restricting posts containing nudity.
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Facebook's been taking this kind of stuff down that entire time,
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and now all of a sudden it's an issue.
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Why is that happening?
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And you hear conservative bias,
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but it's actually not conservative bias.
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They've been taking down that same type of hate speech since 2008,
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2009, and there's just more of that type of hate speech.
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The speech of Trump and his party has like come to the rule.
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It is not that they have all of a sudden changed the rules to be biased against conservatives.
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I think people who genuinely believe that,
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you know, private companies should not in any way interfere with anything a politician is saying,
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no matter how objectionable it might be.
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Do you think that there is an argument there?
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That is a valid argument.
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That yes, if you're Mark Zuckerberg,
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It makes sense to say that,
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look, if I start moderating content,
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I'm going to invite a discussion over the regulatory terms that be,
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over my company, over content moderation.
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And to that I would say, well, let's welcome that.
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Because I think the time is ripe to have an open discussion about what's right in this society and what's wrong,
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especially when we have such a dirty and noisy media environment thanks to Facebook.
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In a blog post, Facebook said the responsibility to fact check political ads shouldn't be left to private companies,
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writing, The sooner Facebook and other companies are subject to democratically accountable rules on this, the better.
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But in the meantime, ahead of the 2020 election,
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Facebook announced it is allowing users to opt out of political ads.
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For some critics though, the question remains, is it enough?

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will explore the ongoing debate surrounding social media censorship and freedom of speech. Through practicing this discussion, you will not only improve your comprehension of complex topics but also enhance your ability to express your opinions clearly in English. This lesson will give you the tools to articulate your thoughts on important societal issues, which is essential for developing your conversational skills. You will engage with various viewpoints, allowing you to practice argumentative structures and improve your vocabulary related to media ethics and public discourse.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Censoring: The act of suppressing or restricting information or speech deemed offensive or harmful.
  • Freedom of Speech: The right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint.
  • Misleading Speech: Communication that may lead others to misunderstand or incorrectly interpret information.
  • Hate Speech: Speech that incites violence or prejudicial action against a particular group, which is often regulated by law.
  • Political Speech: Any speech related to government or political activities, often protected under freedom of speech laws.
  • Fact-Checking: The process of verifying the factual accuracy of information.
  • Democratic Principle: A core value that supports the ideal of fair participation in political processes.
  • Liability Shield: Legal protection for companies against being held responsible for content posted by users.

Practice Tips

To make the most of your practice with this lesson, consider using a technique known as shadowspeak. This method involves listening closely to the transcript's dialogue and repeating the phrases aloud, mimicking the speaker's pace and tone. Given the nature of the discussion—heavy with political nuances and varying emotions—try to maintain a measured speed that reflects the seriousness of the topic. Begin by breaking down the dialogue into manageable segments, allowing you to focus on your English pronunciation and intonation.

Use a shadowing app to facilitate this practice—many allow you to slow down or repeat specific portions of audio, which can help with catching subtle pronunciations and emotions. Aim to articulate not just the words but also the feelings behind them; this will give you a deeper understanding of the subject matter while honing your conversational skills. Engaging in debates with fellow learners can also reinforce your practice, allowing you to use the vocabulary learned in real conversations. This approach not only enriches your language skills but also empowers you to voice your opinions more confidently!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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