Facebook Linked to Anti-Refugee Attacks
Has social media ever changed your views on certain topics? In this day and age, the power of the internet and social media are able to steers someone’s views to sway either towards a relative view or away. In the small riverside town of Altena Germany this is question being asked by researchers at the University of Warwick. The new age of social media as a whole concept has always made it easier for people to share their views on a vast number of topics. Specifically, researchers are attempting to see if there is any correlation between the proposed evil connotations of refugees, with the growing number of anti-refugee violence spread across Germany.
This along with the growing far-right movements throughout Germany has created a hostile environment for the new migrants making their way to Germany. Specifically, research is underway to see if there is any correlation between communities and their usage to see if this at all connects back to racial violence. University researchers Karsten Müller and Carlo Schwarz combed through every anti-refugee attack in Germany, which totaled to be around 3,335. In each place of attack, they rifled through many different variables including, wealth, Demographics, political backgrounds and many more. One thing however that stood out too many of these attacks was that the average number of Facebook users was larger than the last. Facebook however has declined to comment on the study, instead they sent an email stating that “Their approach on what is allowed on Facebook has evolved over time and continues to change as they learn from experts on the field.”
Facebook has long had a semi strong policy on what it considers hate speech including that against refugees. However, people are now arguing that the hate speech and intolerance being thrust upon the migrants is subtler and therefore harder to detect and fix. On top of these issues Facebook has been thrust into the spotlight to answer questions regarding technology’s role in the spread of misinformation. On top of the its lack of support to stop the spread of anti-refugee propaganda, Facebook is also being linked to many other issues including the enablement of arms dealing. The one common factor between both issues is Facebook’s lack of resources and focus on these issues. The social media platform has long since known about the effects that falsehood lies on its site create for the real world.
Through their research Müller and Schwartz are strongly suggesting that Facebook is linked to the rise of attacks on foreign refugees. They state that “hate crimes are likely to have many fundamental drivers; local differences in xenophobic ideology or a higher salience of immigrants.” Rather their argument is that social media can as a “propagating mechanism for the flare-up of hateful sentiments.” Putting the two together both the xenophobic views of the public and the anti-refugee sentiments splashed around social media helps to magnify the attacks on refugees.
All this being said the one take away from these news stories is the falsehood that comes with online social sites. What you read is not necessarily always the truth, currently the refugees being affected by these lies spread about them is unjust and unnecessary. Sadly, however that will continue to be the case until Facebook finally decides that as a company enough is enough, and they need to take proper action.
