Modern Trends in the Development of Legal Regulation of the Limits of Freedom of Speech

Abstract

This article studies the current state of freedom of speech and its limits, both in Russia and in the rest of the world. Despite the consolidation of elements of freedom of speech in international and national norms, current trends in its development raise many questions regarding the preservation of the previously established balance of freedom of speech and its restrictions, which makes this study relevant. Thus, the purpose of this research is to identify the conditions that contribute to these changes, to analyze modern patterns of development. In relation to freedom of speech, the author analyzes the influence of globalization and deglobalization processes, IT, media corporations, as well as elements of self-regulation of public structures on society and the state. The results reveal the changes in the implementation of freedom of speech without changing its legal consolidation, as well as the “generational gap” destabilizing society. The author assumes that the development of the law regarding the limits of freedom of speech will be influenced by the following factors: objectively increasing globalization and resistance to it from political elites; an increase in the influence of new media corporations and civil society, which will further exacerbate the established “generational gap”. This assumption relies on a sociological study conducted by the author on the topic “Freedom of Speech and Its Limits”, as well as an assessment of the results obtained and their comparison with the data of other researchers. This article continues the analysis of the contemporary understanding of freedom of speech and its limits within the framework of the integrative approach proposed by the author in his earlies publications. This approach helped in assessing the level of legal regulation of the limits of freedom of speech; in addition, it provides options for their change in the near future.