The traditional "marketplace of ideas" was intended to justify freedom of speech in terms of optimal outcomes in the production of truth. John Mill said that when truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, the truth will win out - and that the grappling makes the truth stronger.
Thanks to digital technology, information seems to be available at any time. However, because anybody can share their thoughts on the internet, cultural biases sometimes get in the way of the spread of information. John Mill believed that nobody truly knew the truth, or that no one idea alone embodies the truth. Mill claims that the free competition of ideas is the best way to separate falsehoods from fact.
Looking at the most recent presidential election, candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden had broadcasted debates to help American voters hear their policies and ideas, and help voters choose who they want to vote for. The presidential debates have a big influence on how the election will go and candidates are meant to be camera-ready. Throughout these debates, both candidates have made claims that have been fact-checked by verified sources.
In the 2020 Presidental Debate, both Trump and Biden were fact-checked many times. For example, Trump claimed that the COVID-19 antibody treatment was a "cure" when in reality it is not. At the time of this debate, there was no "cure" for COVID-19, and researchers checked with the FDA to confirm. Biden's claim that Trump's plan could defund Social Security was also proven to be a false claim. There are many more claims from both candidates that were proven to be false, but it goes to show that viewers cannot believe everything they see in the media.
People always want to be right and support their candidate. Trump and Biden's supporters believe what their candidate says is true and try to justify their claims despite being fact-checked by people who actually did the research. People can say whatever they want, even if it's not true but as long as it does not harm anyone they can say it. The marketplace of ideas justifies this as freedom of speech and would argue with something like censorship.
With social media apps such as Twitter, people are allowed to say whatever they want due to the First Amendment and freedom of speech. After the debate, many people went on to Twitter trying to justify their candidate's claims even when it was false information. Everyone wants their truth to be the real one, but just as John Mill says, "the truth will win out".
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