Is Social Media Silencing?
Instagram and Facebook are social platforms where users are encouraged to create, post and share content of all kinds. Thoughts, opinions, art, lifestyle, business, and so much more. However, we have seen a lot of censorship on the apps recently with posts many may consider controversial. Take the Nyome Nicholas-Williams post for example, the plus-size model posted a topless photo of herself with her arms crossed over her chest as not to reveal too much. It was a beautiful photo, art really. However, instagram took it down saying it broke their nudity policy. Nyome’s purpose for the post was to promote body positivity and self-love which is a positive and important topic today. It was art and an important message for everyone. The fact of the matter is, this empowering message was silenced due to the controversy of the human body and showing some skin. After much feedback, it all ended with a change in Instagram’s nudity policy allowing for photos like Nyome’s to be permissible on the platform.
The reality is, Instagram and Facebook have been shutting down posts similar to this as well as other controversial content a lot recently. I know I have seen many people that I follow post something and within minutes, the post us “unavailable” for viewing. I would say the content they decide to take down hasn’t always been deserving of the take down. For example, if you remember the doctors who came out and said publicly that something called, hydroxychloroquine has shown to help many Corona patients but many who shared a video of the doctors explaining their findings had their posts taken down almost immediately. Users have a right to post and share content that is representative of their perspectives, opinions and beliefs as well as their interests. If users found this information from the doctors to be something interesting and worth at least noting, then I don’t see the reason to take it down. Real doctors came out with this information, whether or not it was found to be true or not after more research is besides the point because it was new information that brought possible treatment to the pandemic we knew little about and the public has a right to know the information specialists are discovering. This is just an example of one of the many times social media has worked hard to silence voices that shouldn’t have been silenced.
There is something called freedom of speech. However, I do believe there is a line which would be anything that hurts or threatens another. Now, that can be a very fine line especially with heated topics like politics and everything where people are easily offended, however, the wording and tone of someone’s post could be evaluated to gain a better understanding of the intent behind the post and it’s message. Also, all the hate comments that are let through on the platforms are ridiculous. More often than not comments like that are only to tear another down and should be monitored more closely in order to limit the amount of hateful words.
Overall, I believe the platforms need to do better at monitoring the posts that encourage a hateful and hostile community, but allow for art to be shared as well as opinions and beliefs that are presented in respectful and honoring manners. Everyone has freedom of speech and should have the ability to share what’s on their mind, but users need to understand that this is a community of real people who are behind the screens and there is no room for hate even when in disagreement.
