#StopHateForProfit: July 24, 2020

From Jessica Meis, Communications Coordinator

Many of us in the modern age use social media in some way. Whether we are on the platforms to share life updates with our friends and family, promote our favorite business or a cause we believe in, or just to scroll through the many articles about recent events, social media has become a part of the good and the bad of society. Social Media has been the platform for many social justice movements for years, but recently it has also become a source of hate and misinformation. 

Kevin Roose, a technology columnist with the New York Times, described in a recent podcast how Facebook has been used to undermine the Black Lives Matter Movement. Donald Trump has also used social media to promote acts of violence in response to the George Floyd protests. Although the same racially-charged and violent message was shared on both platforms, Facebook and Twitter took two very different approaches. While Twitter marked the tweet as going against their policies, Facebook did nothing and continues to hold that position in spite of outside pressure from civil rights organizations. This is not the first time Facebook has stood by while hate speech has continued to fill their platform. Although officially “banned” in March 2019, white supremacist and white nationalists continue to operate on Facebook with no repercussions. 

In light of these events, UCE ministers and staff have decided to participate in the #StopHateForProfit campaign and pause all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram (also owned by Facebook). This campaign was organized by civil rights organizations including NAACP, Color of Change, Anti-Defamation League, and Sleeping Giants as a response to Facebook’s inaction to the spread of racism and hate on their platform in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests across the US. We join these organizations in wanting Facebook to tackle hate speech and misinformation head on instead of continually hiding behind the guise of free speech. 

While some organizations have decided to step away from using Facebook entirely due to Facebook’s continuous lack of support for non-profit organizations, UCE staff do not feel this is the right move in our efforts for social justice. While there are some new Facebook alternatives, these platforms have the danger of being populated by conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers, and white supremacists that have been banned from mainstream platforms, like Facebook, already. To protect our community and our credible voice in the fight for social justice, we do not feel switching to a different platform is safe. UCE does not do fundraising through Facebook, but we do promote our events, our values, and organizations that share those values. We cannot give up our use of Facebook that helps us nurture the human spirit for a world made whole. We share the same power as bad actors on Facebook. Although they use this power for evil, it is not entirely evil and we needn’t hand it over to them. We can use the power of social media for love and to perpetuate our values.  

Are you wondering how to use Facebook for good? Check out this list to learn how you can use the platform to nurture the human spirit for a world made whole:

• Shares and reacts have the most weight in Facebook’s algorithm. Since UCE will not be paying for ads, when you get the chance, share and react to UCE content. 
• Share and react to content by people of color and organizations that fight for social justice and equity.
• Follow official pages for activists and non-profit organizations.
• Promote Black-owned businesses by sharing and reacting to their content.
• Share important articles about social justice to educate those in your online community. 
• Report hate speech and misinformation. The more people that report hateful content, the better the chances of getting it taken down. 
• Sign this petition showing your support for businesses that are taking part in the #StopHateForProfit campaign.

If you would like to leave Facebook entirely, consider Twitter! Lots of social justice movements and journalists take action and organize on Twitter. UCE will be posting more there soon! If you have any questions about this move or would like to learn more, email Jessica Meis, Communications Coordinator, at admin@ucevanston.org.