Handling Hate Speech and Intro To The Right Strategy To Be Effective
Many companies are withdrawing their Ads in some social media sites. It’s an act they called a boycott to probably force the management of those platforms to act on the issues regarding hate speech and other concerns.
I’ve been a user of Facebook since 2010. I have created many accounts using different names (because my personal account was hacked many times) as part of my experiment/exploration. I studied some social media users’ comments, reactions and even their profiles. After some years of exploration, I came to a conclusion --- many people are biased and hateful to others who do not agree with their opinion. Even if the comment of a person is helpful, it will still be ridiculed.
How I handled hate speech?
During the Marawi siege in 2017, I became active in social media. I read almost all the news about the war. Then I decided to leave a comment (or two) to share some things I know about the place that can probably help the soldiers in securing the area. Then a girl replied to my comment saying (if I remember it right) , “ Punta ka don para ikaw ang ibala sa kanyon.” in English, “ Go there so that you’ll be the ammunition.” That kind of irrelevant comment is common in many comment sections in most (if not all) social media sites. Thankfully, there are many people who supported my statement that gave me the determination to continue sharing what I know or learned from my experiences (which include going to Marawi before the siege ended). Without those people, I might be one of those illogical people believing in whatever they see in the platforms they use. I learned to evaluate or fact check news and other posts distributed on different platforms because of those logical people who think critically before they hit ”Post” or “Send” button.I have compared comments and replies of social media users about relevant posts from that year and the current year. I felt relieved because I think many people have been educated. I think if we continue spreading positive (logical/empathetic) comments rather than negative (illogical/hateful) comments and refuse to reply on comments aimed to offend (and/or harm) others, we can solve the problem regarding hateful speech. If we do not agree with the statement, just leave a reaction like angry, sad or a laughter.
Below is a collage (screenshots) of my comment (inside the pink box) and replies of other Facebook users (I covered parts of their username) on a post by GMA news which is about the number of children who died because of the so called "war on drugs”. The replies in the blue boxes are from a guy whose comment is valid, but I don’t think he understood my point. I left that comment not because I agree with how many police understood and acted on the mandate related to “war on drugs”. What I want to imply in that statement is that shedding blood is not needed to make drug users stop using it. All they (especially the minors) need is support from their relatives, friends or even strangers .
The guy said I lack credibility because my account is fake. I understand his point, so I laugh with him by reacting to his comment with (Haha emoticon). I visited his profile after he said the same to Dia (the last person who supported my statement) who does not have a profile photo on her account. The guy’s profile is filled with information (probably proving his credibility) and his from (or living in) Quezon City. Based on my Google Analytics data (in early June of this year), some users of this blog are from Quezon City. Maybe this post might reach him, so let me just say to him, "I am not fake, and I am just advocating for a brighter future."
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| Screenshots of my comment on a post |
I believe one of the purposes of social media platforms is to connect people, not spreading hatred among them. They are just misused by many individuals (which they commonly call “trolls'') to protect/serve the interest of a specific individual or group. I am not sure if it’s true that these “trolls' ' are paid to spread fake news or hate comments against some entities, but what I am certain is that they will not stop if we’ll continue debating.
“Pruning hard is a dangerous policy in an unpredictable environment. Thus, if you know that you live in a spot where nature may play tricks on you, and if your primary desire is to maintain your roses, year after year, you may opt for a policy of high tolerance.
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To tolerate a variety of life forms within oneself gives a company the resilience to withstand stress and even disaster.” - The Living Company by Arie De Geus
Intro To The Right Strategy To Be Effective
I said in my previous post that I’ll be taking a pause. That article was written around a month ago. This article is written on July 1, 2020. I did not expect I'd come up with a solution to my problem within that time span so my post schedule continued (but may change). Thanks to the books I have read that broadened my knowledge, the books I’ve decided to continue reading that widened my understanding and free Facebook for keeping me updated with the latest news worldwide without spending money.The solution I have cannot solve my problems, but it can help me find out the right solution to every problem. As they said, there is no one cure for all. Like the Tetanus Toxoid, an anti-tetanus (AT) injected for free at the anti-rabies center which works for many patients but not for me because I have an allergy to that AT.
Experiments are done to find out possible outcomes which will be evaluated to make sure that the probability of the approach to be effective may reach 100% (or greater). Without experimentations ( trying possible solutions), we will never progress.
So I decided to conduct experiments. My future posts may be far from the purpose of this blog, but I will do my best to make sure they still have relevance.
I became tolerant because of the people who post relevant statements on many platforms. Hateful speech does not bother me anymore because I have completely understood the reason behind the hate.
Hopefully one day, my experiments can help me formulate solutions that can influence others to help instead of hate.
P.S. My 1, 000 words aim is in halt after this post.
