Bullying and hate-speech: these are two of the hottest, and unfortunately, most relevant topics in the social media industry today. How do we avoid their ubiquitous presence on our favorite platforms? What measures will society take to discourage toxic behavior online? These are questions that companies are now forced to find answers to.
Lately, Youtube has been under fire as they struggle to find a balance between free speech and protecting its youngest users, and Twitter recently narrowed their policy – clarifying what they consider to be abusive speech. Instagram was silent for a while – that is, until just a few days ago when they unveiled their new anti-bullying features. Let’s take a look at how the platform claims they’ll help combat hate speech online with two new tools:
Automatic Warnings
Are online bullies unaware of their dangerous behavior? Instagram seems to think so. Now, certain keywords within comments will trigger an automated warning, which gives users a chance to rethink their original post.
So, how effective is this strategy? According to Instagram, “from early tests of this feature, we have found that it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect.”
Interesting. Let’s hope that’s true!
Restricted Mode
Nearly identical to Facebook’s “hide” feature, Instagram has now given users a way to block their antagonizers without notifying them. This is a brilliant move on their part, and I think it will definitely help individuals who are struggling with online bullying.
Instagram explains: “We’ve heard from young people in our community that they’re reluctant to block, unfollow, or report their bully because it could escalate the situation, especially if they interact with their bully in real life. We wanted to create a feature that allows people to control their Instagram experience, without notifying someone who may be targeting them. Soon, we will begin testing a new way to protect your account from unwanted interactions called Restrict. Once you Restrict someone, comments on your posts from that person will only be visible to that person. You can choose to make a restricted person’s comments visible to others by approving their comments.”
Restricted users will also not be able to see when their targets are online or have read their DMs.
Do you think these new tools will have any impact on bullying on the platform? What other features would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below!
