Social networking sites have the potential to connect friends and family, unite likeminded individuals and serve as a place for debate and protest. Unfortunately, many people don’t use social platforms for their intended purposes, which can drive other users crazy. For example, look at some of the most popular sites: LinkedIn is being used as an unofficial dating site, Facebook posts and targeted ads are being used to spread fake news and Twitter is being used to deploy hate speech. To an extent, these types of exploitation may even breach the privacy and ethics of each site.
SocialMedia.Sucks—but it doesn’t have to. Be aware of each unique platform’s shortcomings to avoid pitfalls and protect yourself accordingly.
Misuse of Popular Social Platforms
- How? It’s been widely reported that LinkedIn is being used by some as a dating app. Women have reported stories about receiving inappropriate comments on their physical appearance or even solicitations for dates. LinkedIn can be an important networking tool but you should be wary of followers that you don’t know in your day-to-day life or who aren’t in an industry related to yours.
- Stay Savvy: Report inappropriate messages so that those users are stopped from harassing others.
- Take a Stance: Consider a custom domain like LinkedIn.Sucks to call out unwanted advances and keep the space safe and harassment-free.
- How? Since the 2016 American election, Facebook has indicated that Russian sources purchased up to $100,000 worth of ads on the site, which reached up to 10 million users. What does this mean? Facebook users were being subjected to fake news that may have been specifically designed to influence the U.S. election. Be wary of anything labeled an “ad” on Facebook, and know that it’s being shown to you for a reason: either to make money or perpetuate a point of view.
- Stay Savvy: If you do click an ad link, be wary of “news” sites that have misspellings in the URL. They’re designed to make the site seem like something it isn’t. Challenge everything you read, and always aim to get your news through reputable sources.
- Take a Stance: Facebook.Sucks may have already been purchased (likely by Zuck himself), but you can still get creative. TheBook.Sucks or TheSocialNetwork.Sucks can get the attention of the higher-ups at Facebook, and help call out the nefarious news being spread through the platform.
- How? Twitter has been a hot spot for hate speech and harassment and the site has done little to address the widespread problem. When you see targeted harassment, you can report the account—but there’s no saying whether that will actually accomplish anything. Twitter has become notoriously lax, confusing and contradictory in what types of behavior warrant or do not warrant a ban. For example, the recent banning of Rose McGowan for speaking out against sexual harassment left users wondering why she got the boot while “alt-right” accounts were allowed to continue posting violent and disturbing messages without consequence.
- Stay Savvy: While reporting harassment may not always get you the result you desire, you can use “block” and “mute” features to keep certain users and/or offensive words or topics off your newsfeed.
- Take a Stance: We can all agree that HateSpeech.Sucks—so why is Twitter letting not regulating its site better? If you agree that Twitter should not be the place for harassment or Nazi propaganda, consider using a custom .SUCKS website to call out the hypocrisy of Twitter’s banning practices.
The Takeaway
We’re all responsible for our own behavior on social media sites. But that’s only half the battle. In order to make sure that social media sites are being used for their intended purposes, we can keep an eye out for suspicious or abusive behavior and report it where necessary. If enough users start pushing back against the worst aspects of our social media sites, we can effect real change and help rid the web of cyberbullying and hatred.
Sick of letting this behavior slide? Start your own campaign against the misuse of social media with a custom domain like OnlineBullying.Sucks.
Photo Credits: Shutterstock / Vasin Lee, Shutterstock / Jacob Lund, Shutterstock / Paul Stringer
