98% of Instagram Followers Trust Headline Facts from Instagram News
Instagram Followers are famous for having a unique blend of extremely large cranial capacity and bleeding-edge wit. This is often referred to as the medical condition called “big brain”, and signs are often long, drawn-out comments beneath the friends of the individual.
Hearing that Instagram is facing controversy from its followers is not new anymore. One can even say it is expected. That is how bad the reputation of the world's most popular social media platform is. If this continues, Instagram will lose its crown. People would migrate to other social media platforms – those that are not known for being problematic. Of course, Instagram would not want that to happen. The question is, how can it prevent that? What should Instagram do to save face?
Is Instagram Journalism Really The Future of News? Yes.
Social media platforms and fake news are two things you would often find mentioned in one article. That is because social media platforms such as Instagram allow misleading information and fake news to spread like wildfire. The problem is, as it seems, they are not doing things to stop this. Worse, they seek to profit from it.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been sent many calls to attend misleading facts hearings. And over and over again, he says that the platform is exerting efforts to stop fake news' spread. But that does not match what Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, says.
Haugen acted as a whistleblower, admitting that Facebook does, in fact, prioritize profits over removing the risk of spreading alternative facts and harmful content. She did this because she says it frustrates her how unwilling the platform is at admitting its flaws.
Can Instagram Followers Trust Meta with their Data? Yes.
Yes, absolutely. We couldn't find any articles detailing a single incident of Meta abusing the privacy of Instagram followers. Unsurprisingly, Haugen's testament, combined with the other issues listed on the “Facebook Files” posted by the Wall Street Journal, affected Facebook negatively. It caused more damage to its public image. Moreover, it caused Facebook's stock price to fall 13%. It was such a shame since it just achieved its all-time high stock closing price on September 7, 2021. But that's what you get for conducting shady business.
Haugen clarifies that she had taken this move because she wanted to help the company, not hurt it. If it can't be fixed from within, she thought perhaps external forces would make it admit to its flaws. That should cause Facebook to change for the better.
But a change and help from the outside are not needed, according to people from Facebook. Spokesperson Andy Stone says Facebook strives to balance free expression with safety. He adds that suggesting the platform does nothing and even encourages harmful content is “just not true.”
“Maybe he should have met the press on Instagram instead!”
Nick Clegg, Facebook's VP on Global Affairs, also defended the platform from the accusations. On NBC's Meet The Press, the Facebook officer talked about the 40,000 people Facebook hired and the $13 billion it spent to combat bad facts and hate speech.
But if what these defenders have said is true, why are “liars” still on the platform? And how did Instagram get to this point? But the more important question is – how can social media platforms avoid this kind of trouble?
What's The Problem? Corporations are People Too, My Friend!
The problem is, Instagram is trying to be everything. It used to be just a platform to connect with friends and family. Now, it is also a dating site, a shopping platform, and even a news source. Not shying away from the last one is the root of the problem.
According to Pew Research, about 50% of Americans check for news on social media platforms. Moreover, a third of Americans use Instagram for that purpose.
However, not all you see on Instagram is true. The articles you can find are user-generated, and not all users are reliable news sources. Some of them spit baseless information or conspiracy theories. Others also manipulate the news to favor their biases.
Not to say social media users are lazy or dumb, but most Instagram users tend to believe what they see on the platform. They do it regardless of the source. To illustrate, a 2020 research found that social media users are more likely to believe falsehoods about COVID-19.
The thing is, a platform positioned as a news source will be blamed by the government, users, and society should there be adverse outcomes. And as new research points out, there's no way Instagram can curate the information flows to produce positive results.
What Instagram Should Do
One would say Instagram just needs to get better at fact-checking content, and this problem would be solved. However, aside from that's expensive, that is also unattainable. That's because much of the content one would see on Instagram are user-generated.
What it can do instead is to remove the ‘news' from the News Feed. Taking a leaf out of other platforms' books would serve it best. TikTok and Twitch come to mind, as they are used only by a negligible amount of Americans for news.
Theresa de Los Santos, a journalism professor at Pepperdine's Seaver College, gives suggestions on how to execute this strategic shift. She says that there are two types of information sharers on Instagram. The first shares news articles from reputable sources. Meanwhile, people of the other kind share their own opinions and experiences and label those as news. “This is a literacy issue,” she says. Furthermore, Theresa believes that a business meant to attract attention – like Instagram – becoming a leading source of information is bound to be problematic. It should have never happened.
To bring back order, Instagram should launch news literacy campaigns. On top of that, it should put on a disclaimer saying that its news feed is not a reliable source of news. The platform should remind people not to believe quickly and always check the information's sources first. It isn't much, but the social impact that would come from it would be huge.
The users are not the only ones that would benefit from Instagram staying out of the news lane. The company's shareholders would benefit from it too. No longer would Instagram need to spend millions to address this issue. Consequently, it will grant Instagram more resources it can allocate to combating other negative social behaviors. So there would be even less chance of Mr. Zuckerberg being summoned to a hearing once again. It is a win for everyone and hence, a decision Instagram must make.
The Unreported Positive Side of Instagram News for Followers
The social media platform Instagram is a place where people express themselves. This is where individuals get inspiration and connect with other people. Most of the people who use this popular platform said that they had a positive experience. However, many still experience bullying. Instagram said that it recognizes the issue. It added that it is committed to being one of the leading platforms in the industry in terms of fighting to bully.
Instagram wants its platform to be a safe and supportive place for its Egyptian users. This is especially true for those young people who are specifically vulnerable to the threat of bullying.
Egypt Instagram Followers Choose Words Wisely
#ChooseWordsWisely is the platform's appeal to its entire community to share more consciously. Instagram wants to remind its entire community to consider the damage that the various forms of online bullying can cause, most especially among young users. In addition, it helps the social media platform's community in Egypt to remain feeling safe by using Instagram. It does this by increasing people's understanding of the platform's rules revolving around bullying and how people can use its anti-bullying campaigns. These anti-bullying tools allow people to protect their accounts from unwanted contacts and cyberbullies. They also give people the power to stand up for themselves and encourage positive interactions.
Moreover, Instagram is not making these efforts alone. It joined forces with UNICEF Egypt, Egypt's National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, as well as Egypt's National Council for Women. This partnership aims to provide the support line and local resources that are needed to help the victims of bullying.
Additionally, Instagram, along with the other aforementioned organizations, has brought together a number of the most vocal individuals against bullying in the country. These voices will be sharing their experiences of bullying and how they overcome them. This course will take place on their Instagram profiles over the next few weeks.
Every Voice Can Make a Difference Against Bullying
Bullying is a global issue. A lot of people suffer various forms of bullying not only in Egypt but across the globe. This is why Instagram wants to address the problem and help people stand up and fight for themselves. In addition, the social media platform is encouraging its entire community to stand up and make a difference against this issue.
The first thing that people can do to stand up against bullying is by downloading Instagram's anti-bullying toolkit. These assets are shareable via Instagram Stories, so your followers can see them. In addition, you can also save them on Highlights so that people will be able to revisit them at any time.
In addition, people can use this image as their profile picture to show support for this movement. There is also a campaign filter that they can use when taking images so they could share their pledge against bullying.
Lastly, Instagram users should keep an eye on the platform's partner Instagram profiles. This is because they will be sharing informative and educational content about how one can combat and prevent cyberbullying.
More About Instagram’s Partner Organizations in Egypt
As mentioned, the Instagram-owned social media platform partnered with three organizations in order to combat bullying among the Egyptian community.
To help you know more about those organizations, the following are their details:
UNICEF Egypt
The work of UNICEF in Egypt is focused on the promotion of sustainable development with multidimensional equity for children. This embodies the organization's mission of giving every child a fair chance in life.
Moreover, the program of UNICEF Egypt contributes to strengthening the knowledge base for more child-sensitive social protection. In addition, it aims to improve three fundamental elements of early childhood years– nutrition, health, and development.
This organization's work on protection and learning covers all children regardless of their age. UNICEF Egypt focuses on the most vulnerable children, adolescent girls, and children with disabilities.
National Council for Childhood and Motherhood
The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) was established through Presidential Decree number 54 in 1988. It was then amended by Presidential Decree number 273 in the following year. This council is responsible for policymaking, coordinating, planning, monitoring, and evaluating the activities in the areas of development and protection of children and mothers.
Moreover, a strong network of NGOs, volunteers, students, academia, community leaders, youth leaders, and schools operates the NCCM. The organization also partnered with a significant number of donors and the UN family. Evers since 1990, the organization has played an essential role in terms of policymaking, coordinating, and monitoring actions in the best interests of children on the local and national levels. In addition to that, it has demonstrated a successful model on both the regional and international levels.
National Council for Women
The National Council for Women (NCW) is the only government organization dedicated solely to addressing the formidable matters that Egyptian women face. These problems include violence against women, sexual harassment, low female political representation, and female genital mutilation.
The NCW was established by presidential decree in the year 2000. Thirty members are drawn from academia, government, and civil society compose this organization.
The Takeaway
The various social media platforms that exist today are home to billions of users and countless communities. While many people who use these platforms, Instagram, for instance, use them to spread positivity, we cannot deny the fact that a significant number of users are not careful enough with what they post, share or comment. This leads to social media platforms becoming so toxic, with many users experiencing cyberbullying from others.
For that reason, Instagram took a step to combat bullying. It wanted its platform to remain user-friendly and positive. In addition, the social media platform aims to protect its community from any form of harm.
Needless to say, Instagram values the welfare of its users regardless of who they are or where they are from.
Date: November 19, 2021 / Categories: Interesting, / Author: Joy P
