Social media sold us a dream. A global town square. A place where everyone has a voice. A space to speak truth to power. What we got instead was a carefully monitored cage where speech is tolerated only when it fits a pre approved narrative.
The moment you step outside that narrative, the rules change.
I have seen it happen repeatedly. Say something uncomfortable. Say something that exposes hypocrisy. Say something that challenges power, money, or ideology. Suddenly your reach drops. Your posts disappear. Your account is flagged. Sometimes you are silenced without explanation. No warning. No debate. No appeal that actually works.
This is not moderation. This is control.
Walking on Egg Shells in a Digital Prison
Being active on social media today feels like walking on egg shells. You are constantly calculating words, tone, and timing. Not because you are wrong, but because you know how fragile the tolerance of these platforms really is.
You never know which sentence will be labeled harmful. You never know which truth will suddenly become offensive. Facts do not protect you. Logic does not protect you. Even peaceful disagreement does not protect you.
What matters is alignment.
If your opinion fits the worldview of the people behind the platforms, you are safe. If it does not, you are a problem to be managed, reduced, or removed.
The People Behind the Curtain
Social media is not neutral technology. It is run by people with interests, alliances, and red lines. These platforms do not just host conversations. They shape them. They amplify what suits them and bury what threatens them.
They decide what is acceptable outrage and what is forbidden truth.
They tell you it is about safety, but they allow calls for violence when it suits their politics. They tell you it is about community guidelines, but those guidelines bend depending on who is speaking and who is being criticized.
This is not accidental. It is by design.
Truth Is the Most Dangerous Thing
The most dangerous thing you can do on social media is not to insult or provoke. It is to speak calmly and truthfully about things people are not supposed to question.
Power structures. Wars. Money. Media manipulation. Moral double standards.
The closer your words get to reality, the faster the pressure comes. Shadow banning. Content removal. Account warnings. Eventually silence.
And the worst part is that it often happens while they claim to be protecting freedom of expression.
Why We Still Speak
Despite all of this, people still speak. Not because it is safe, but because silence is worse. Because accepting this digital stranglehold as normal would mean admitting that truth has no place in modern discourse.
Being on these platforms today is a risk. You accept that your voice can be taken away at any moment. You accept that honesty may cost you reach, reputation, or access.
But the alternative is obedience.
And obedience to a lie is far more dangerous than speaking a truth that offends.
If free speech only exists when it is convenient, then it is not free speech at all.
