Has Facebook Lost its Face?
We’re finally done with Facebook, or are we? According to an article by CNBC, big-name brands like Coca-Cola, Verizon, and Unilever have joined together in the #StopHateForProfit campaign to boycott Facebook Advertising to “encourage the company to amp up efforts against hate speech and disinformation.” Facebook has been long scolded about how they allow intense hate speech from White supremacists but filter out pages that speak on Black issues. In response to the boycotts and the lack of revenue from these advertisers, Facebook’s Vice President of Global Business Solutions, Carolyn Everson, explained that “boycotting in general is not the way for us to make progress together,” and the company “set(s) (their) policies based on principles rather than business interests.” That was quickly undermined after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company would be addressing concerns against hate speech, even though the boycotts were not formally mentioned.
This tweet from the President of Color of Change, Rashad Robinson, highlights the fact that Facebook’s entire response to the pressures of being more ethical in their practices doesn’t facilitate an avenue of trust. If these companies who are bringing millions of dollars into Facebook each and every year can’t ruffle the site’s feathers, then who can? I personally call BS. I think that Facebook doesn't want to show that they can be influenced by outside companies only because they want to be in control of everything. Facebook wants to be a site that users come on and don’t want to leave; they want users to go to Facebook for any and everything. How ethical can that be?! Another article from CNBC explains how former Facebook employees felt about their work environment. If these employees described that they were discouraged from being honest about their work experiences, why should we even trust the site and the information that comes from it? The more that comes to light about how Facebook moves internally, the more I question why I am even using the platform itself. It’s not even that great to me.
Do It For The Gram
Let’s not forget that Facebook owns another very significant social media networking site that brands often use to advertise: Instagram. According to Bloomberg, Instagram made a whole lot of money last year from advertising: $20 million to be exact. A company owned and operated by Facebook made this much money from ad costs, so there is great power in boycotting their services. The revenue is just an indication of how influential these social media sites are when it comes to advertising, so I think creating a break in the norm will definitely lead to even more change within these sites.
Let’s say the boycotts were ignored, and Facebook continued to ignore a long-lasting ethical issue, among all others. These companies would have to reallocate their budget to other digital marketing avenues such as LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. because many corporations are finally understanding they can not support, promote, or engage with anything that does not uplift the Black community, LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups. No matter what the CEO or VP of Global Business Solutions would have others think, we know that these boycotts directly affected the decision for Facebook to change its policies regarding discriminatory practices on the website. We all know Facebook hardly ever gets it right without a little bit of guidance, just ask Snapchat.
