There are hundreds of millions of people who use social media on a daily basis, and many people rely on it to stay in contact with their family members and friends. At the same time, social media can be a cesspool, particularly for hatred and bigotry. Now, it appears that the chief of the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is starting to call out the entire industry for the echo chamber it has created.
Recently, he accused social media platforms, and those who advertise on social media, of being complicit in the generation of racism, sexism, anti-semitism, islamophobia, xenophobia, misogyny, and homophobia. These are powerful words from one of the most powerful individuals in the world, and he has stated that social media companies are using algorithms to keep people glued to the screens as long as possible. That way, they can increase their advertising revenue, and he believes it makes not only social media companies but also advertisers complicit in the generation of hatred.
For a long time, he has spoken about the power that social media companies have because of how many people they can reach in such a short amount of time. He has also called for them to take more action to limit the spread of hatred on their platforms, but he believes that social media companies, and the governments that control them, have not done enough.
He believes that the hate speech and verbal violence on social media platforms have accelerated in recent years, and he believes that it doesn’t take a lot for someone to be inspired to act negatively after seeing something on social media. As a result, he believes that more has to be done.
As we wait for social media companies to respond directly to what he has said, it will be interesting to see what actions social media companies take in the near future, particularly with the next election cycle ramping up in the United States. While social media has the ability to do a tremendous amount of good in the world, it can also cause significant harm when it is used for nefarious purposes. It is clear that more has to be done to limit the spread of hatred on social media.
