Hate speech and fake news continue to circulate on social media
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 4:44 am
The last quarter was marked by strong discussions regarding social media and its impact on people. Let's take a look at the main events and how social channels impacted users and brands.
Ashley Rodriguez
Aug 10, 22 | 8 min read
social networks long road of learning
Reading time: 6 minutes
Facebook has made headlines around the world after publishing internal documents revealing bad practices that could lead to mental health problems and even put democracies at risk.
The discussion about how social media platforms can increase hate speech, fake news and silence minorities grew in the last quarter, when the controversial Elon Musk bought Twitter. All this at the same time that LinkedIn blocked inclusive job postings.
There are a total of 5 billion people connected to the Internet . With this number, we can think of the digital world as a place where everyone is welcome and can find a community. For brands and creators, this means a sea of new customers to interact with.
But not everything is rosy.
Just like in real life, we also face misinformation and digital discrimination. The difference is that this type of content can spread millions of times faster, and list of sierra leone consumer email what might seem like a harmless action can cause massive damage.
Who is to blame? Social platforms? Governments and the lack of digital laws? Users? What is the responsibility of each of these and how can we, marketers and members of society, contribute to building a better social media environment?
Follow us on the Rock Content LinkedIn page
Platform controversies
Remember when Facebook had to change the name of its organization to Meta?
This happened late last year, right after the Facebook Papers scandal documents were leaked . We saw a lot of news headlines showing that Facebook knew young people were having mental health issues using Instagram because of comparing aesthetic standards , and the company did nothing.
The same documents showed us that Facebook prioritized content that irritated people in the feed just because it got more engagement and kept them on the platform longer. Furthermore, the papers showed that Facebook knew it was creating political divisions that even led to wars in developing countries. Again, it did nothing.
“The company’s leaders know how to make Facebook and Instagram safer and they don’t make changes because they prioritized their huge profits,” Frances Haugen , a former Facebook employee who leaked the documents to the press , told Congress .
Twitter also had its own controversies. The social media pioneer was acquired by billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk for $44 billion just after he conducted a poll, asking his followers if they thought the tool respected “free speech.”
Freedom of speech is an important pillar and the basis of democracy. But the problem with Musk is that he has a controversial version . He argues that everyone can publish whatever they want regardless of the problems it brings to society, such as violence against minorities and the death of those who believe in anti-vaxxers.
He himself has already made anti-vaccine posts, "jokes" about Hitler, and was not censored by Twitter's policies before he bought it, which shows that the platform does not have the best moderation or the intention to moderate all harmful posts.
And Musk compared Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal to Joseph Stalin for having some moderation policies.
What will happen to Twitter now that Musk promises “free speech,” according to his distorted vision, to one of the most famous social media platforms?
A similarly controversial view of “freedom of expression” was seen in LinkedIn’s stance.
The case occurred in Brazil . The platform was blocking affirmative action jobs for Afro-descendants and indigenous people. When questioned, the company said that “people with the same talents should have access to the same opportunities,” indicating that promoting the inclusion of people without opportunities is a kind of “discrimination” against those who do not suffer prejudice.
This led to a lot of discussion, including the positioning of global companies and the start of government investigations against LinkedIn. In the end, the company took a step back and changed its policies for Latin America.
Are social media a safe place for minorities?
Social media platforms are businesses. That's not a problem. The problem is when services like Facebook, Twitter and others try to make more profit by enveloping users as much as possible, without taking into account the mental problems that could arise from information exposure and providing access to content that could lead to violence in the real world.
It's hard to think of an inclusive place within social media. Fortunately, things are starting to change.
Pinterest is an example of a social network that seems to go against the grain , with a less invasive algorithm and a much greater concern for inclusion, diversity and the well-being of its users.
The social media channel recently launched a new policy to ban misinformation about the climate crisis on the platform, showing commitment to combating misinformation and taking responsibility for climate change.
Following the scandal, Meta for Business changed its policies and began denying ads in “sensitive areas.” Under this regulation, advertisers cannot use options such as “Lung Cancer Awareness Day,” “LGBT Culture,” or “Jewish Holidays.”
Zuckerberg's company also said it removed 9.2 million posts deemed to contain violent content on Facebook and 7.8 million on Instagram.
These actions may give us a little more optimism about a healthier social media environment. At least, a first step in the right direction.
The US and European Congresses are considering the type of regulations that could be put in place to make large digital platforms more responsible with the information shared on their domains.
This is all great, because social media can be a great place to find your community. For Giordano Bruno, Business Partner at Pipefy and volunteer at It Gets Better , access to social media makes it easier to find out about LGBTQIA+ causes.
“When I was 15, I found very little content on social media. Today, there is a huge amount of content. If I type in ‘I am gay and I need help,’ I will find many articles, people and organizations, where I can find information and feel good about who I am,” he explained.
Ashley Rodriguez
Aug 10, 22 | 8 min read
social networks long road of learning
Reading time: 6 minutes
Facebook has made headlines around the world after publishing internal documents revealing bad practices that could lead to mental health problems and even put democracies at risk.
The discussion about how social media platforms can increase hate speech, fake news and silence minorities grew in the last quarter, when the controversial Elon Musk bought Twitter. All this at the same time that LinkedIn blocked inclusive job postings.
There are a total of 5 billion people connected to the Internet . With this number, we can think of the digital world as a place where everyone is welcome and can find a community. For brands and creators, this means a sea of new customers to interact with.
But not everything is rosy.
Just like in real life, we also face misinformation and digital discrimination. The difference is that this type of content can spread millions of times faster, and list of sierra leone consumer email what might seem like a harmless action can cause massive damage.
Who is to blame? Social platforms? Governments and the lack of digital laws? Users? What is the responsibility of each of these and how can we, marketers and members of society, contribute to building a better social media environment?
Follow us on the Rock Content LinkedIn page
Platform controversies
Remember when Facebook had to change the name of its organization to Meta?
This happened late last year, right after the Facebook Papers scandal documents were leaked . We saw a lot of news headlines showing that Facebook knew young people were having mental health issues using Instagram because of comparing aesthetic standards , and the company did nothing.
The same documents showed us that Facebook prioritized content that irritated people in the feed just because it got more engagement and kept them on the platform longer. Furthermore, the papers showed that Facebook knew it was creating political divisions that even led to wars in developing countries. Again, it did nothing.
“The company’s leaders know how to make Facebook and Instagram safer and they don’t make changes because they prioritized their huge profits,” Frances Haugen , a former Facebook employee who leaked the documents to the press , told Congress .
Twitter also had its own controversies. The social media pioneer was acquired by billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk for $44 billion just after he conducted a poll, asking his followers if they thought the tool respected “free speech.”
Freedom of speech is an important pillar and the basis of democracy. But the problem with Musk is that he has a controversial version . He argues that everyone can publish whatever they want regardless of the problems it brings to society, such as violence against minorities and the death of those who believe in anti-vaxxers.
He himself has already made anti-vaccine posts, "jokes" about Hitler, and was not censored by Twitter's policies before he bought it, which shows that the platform does not have the best moderation or the intention to moderate all harmful posts.
And Musk compared Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal to Joseph Stalin for having some moderation policies.
What will happen to Twitter now that Musk promises “free speech,” according to his distorted vision, to one of the most famous social media platforms?
A similarly controversial view of “freedom of expression” was seen in LinkedIn’s stance.
The case occurred in Brazil . The platform was blocking affirmative action jobs for Afro-descendants and indigenous people. When questioned, the company said that “people with the same talents should have access to the same opportunities,” indicating that promoting the inclusion of people without opportunities is a kind of “discrimination” against those who do not suffer prejudice.
This led to a lot of discussion, including the positioning of global companies and the start of government investigations against LinkedIn. In the end, the company took a step back and changed its policies for Latin America.
Are social media a safe place for minorities?
Social media platforms are businesses. That's not a problem. The problem is when services like Facebook, Twitter and others try to make more profit by enveloping users as much as possible, without taking into account the mental problems that could arise from information exposure and providing access to content that could lead to violence in the real world.
It's hard to think of an inclusive place within social media. Fortunately, things are starting to change.
Pinterest is an example of a social network that seems to go against the grain , with a less invasive algorithm and a much greater concern for inclusion, diversity and the well-being of its users.
The social media channel recently launched a new policy to ban misinformation about the climate crisis on the platform, showing commitment to combating misinformation and taking responsibility for climate change.
Following the scandal, Meta for Business changed its policies and began denying ads in “sensitive areas.” Under this regulation, advertisers cannot use options such as “Lung Cancer Awareness Day,” “LGBT Culture,” or “Jewish Holidays.”
Zuckerberg's company also said it removed 9.2 million posts deemed to contain violent content on Facebook and 7.8 million on Instagram.
These actions may give us a little more optimism about a healthier social media environment. At least, a first step in the right direction.
The US and European Congresses are considering the type of regulations that could be put in place to make large digital platforms more responsible with the information shared on their domains.
This is all great, because social media can be a great place to find your community. For Giordano Bruno, Business Partner at Pipefy and volunteer at It Gets Better , access to social media makes it easier to find out about LGBTQIA+ causes.
“When I was 15, I found very little content on social media. Today, there is a huge amount of content. If I type in ‘I am gay and I need help,’ I will find many articles, people and organizations, where I can find information and feel good about who I am,” he explained.