There’s no place on the internet for hate speech, abuse and cyberbullying. Thanks goodness a number of higher-ups have realised this and are working to put a stop to it.
Throughout the past few months, a few of our favourite social media platforms have become very vocal about working to make the web a safer, healthier and happier place.
Twitter is actively fighting against hate speech by removing its blue, verified checkmarks from the profiles of known racists. Instagram has implemented comment controls, allowing its users to discreetly block unwanted comments. And now Facebook is also stepping up to the plate.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s Founder and CEO, has vowed to make it his mission for 2018 to crack down on abuse within the platform.
Every year, Zuckerberg makes a new year’s resolution to learn something new and to improve himself. In past years, his resolutions included learning Mandarin and reading twenty-five new books. This year, Zuckerberg has decided to do something a bit different.
“My personal challenge for 2018 is to focus on fixing these important issues,” Zuckerberg said. “We won’t prevent all mistakes or abuse, but we currently make too many errors enforcing our policies and preventing misuse of our tools. If we’re successful this year then we’ll end 2018 on a much better trajectory.”
Can we get a round of applause?
Online abuse and bullying is a huge issue, especially on social media platforms. It can take a massive emotional toll on someone that has to deal with it every day, like a YouTuber creator or Instagram influencer that has to moderate their comments on a regular basis. We’re glad to hear Zuckerberg is committed to tackling this issue on Facebook.
What are your thoughts on Mark Zuckerberg’s 2018 personal challenge, on tackling abuse on Facebook? Let us know in the comments below.