Teens Protest Online: Social Media Feels the Chill
November 17, 2021
Facebook has created problems from the moment Zuckerberg released the social media platform. Facebook has contributed to human trafficking, child pornography, teen suicides, and widespread misinformation related to vaccines and politics. Facebook has also seen its users age with fewer young people interested in using the platform. Teen Vogue details how teens planned to protest Facebook’s bad acts in, “Facebook Log Out Campaign Aims To Hold Social Media Companies Accountable For Protecting Users.”
On November 10, the Kairos Fellowship encouraged Instagram and Facebook users to log out of their accounts. The movement called the Facebook (and Instagram) Log Out. The purpose is to remove users from the social media platforms’ profit streams. In other words, hurt the companies in the wallet in an attempt to gain their attentions. The protestors want effective content moderation, algorithm transparency, and direct accountability to the people on the platform:
“But here’s the thing: Social media users are not powerless. In Facebook’s case, 98% of their revenue comes from advertising, much of which is hyper-targeted towards each and every user. So when I say Facebook is nothing without users and user data, I literally mean it. We make or break platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and, together, we can begin the process of reimagining what these spaces could look like and how they can run. It’s because I see the importance of social media platforms in our society and for marginalized communities that I’m proud to be leading the Facebook (and Instagram) Logout.”
November 10 has come and gone, but there was little reported on the Logout’s impact. It is great for protests like the Logout to exist and gain the social media companies’ attentions. It would be even greater if they worked with politicians and more advertisers to make their voices heard. It is hard to get a message across unless something goes viral, but they need social media for that. Catch-22 anyone?
Whitney Grace, November 17, 2021
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