Instagram head admits platform has a problem

In this article it talked about how the head of Instagram is trying to make some changes with the content that is allowed to be on instagram. Instagram is fairly new to the internet so that also means that it isn’t very regulated. There is content on the site that could be considered offensive and inappropriate to view for younger users. In the past Instagram hasn’t done a very good job of regulating their content in making sure what is posted online is appropriate. Videos that consist of killings or self harm can easily be found online if you use the right searches or look for certain hashtags. These posts and videos have no reason to be online because of what they can lead to. In the article it talked about how self harm accounts on Instagram lead to the death of a 14 year old named Molly Russel in 2017. The account taught her how to sell harm and to ultimately commit suicide. This really saddened me especially because a 6th grade girl in my town two years ago committed suicide because of bulling. I have no doubt in my mind that she learned some methods of how to hurt herself from the internet/instagram.

Even though I do understand why these type of posts should not be allowed online, it raises the question of if this is going against our first amendment rights. We are allowed the freedom of speech and that allowed people to say and post whatever they want (within  reason). If someone wants to express themselves with vulgar and inappropriate posts who Is instagram to stop them? It also makes me wonder how instagram pulling inappropriate content off of the site apply to international users. Everyone has different laws and rules in their country so some of their posts that we as Americans may see as vulgar, they might not see anything wrong with it. The internet is a magical place in the way that no one owns the internet and its basically a space where (almost) anything goes. Instagram deciding to censor other users posted content does that go beyond their power? Are they abusing their power?

This is a really touchy subject and really confused me as to which side is “right.” For younger users these type of accounts can put bad thoughts In their mind which is scary. However, People do have a right to be able to post what they want. Social media is a really confusing area because there really aren’t that many laws and regulations as to what is allowed and what isn’t because of how new it is.

 

https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/4/18210473/instagram-self-harm-suicide-cutting-posts-molly-russell

7 thoughts on “Instagram head admits platform has a problem

  1. I think that the problem is not that kids have access to Instagram but what they’re being exposed to. According to the Huffington Post, the majority of social media platforms only require the user to be at least 13 years old. I think this is fine but I feel as though there should be filters based on how old you are. For example, if you under age 16 or 17, Instagram should create an algorithm that only showcases material they deem is appropriate for this age group. Since they’ve created a complex algorithm for who posts show up at the top of your feed, I think they should be able to do this as well. Some people may be opposed to this concept, however, it would be in the best interest for the younger generation. To me it is not about banning younger people from Instagram but for limiting what they see until they get older.

    Source:
    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/diana-graber/3-reasons-why-social-media-age-restrictions-matter_b_5935924.html

  2. It is so sad that social media can lead to deaths that may of not otherwise occurred due to posts that are available to everyone. I think Instagram should adjust and use some techniques Youtube uses. For example, when someone goes to post a video on Youtube it takes longer than a second to upload- it is scanned for viruses, plagiarism, copyright, etc. I’m not sure what method is in place currently, but Instagram should scan over every picture before it is posted. Another technique Youtube uses is having a Youtube Kids option that is heavily regulated so everything is appropriate. Instagram should have the same. Maybe all kids under 12 should just be able to follow their friends and family. Then once you get to 15 you can follow celebrities. Then once you are 18 you can follow anyone, etc. I read an article that said Instagram is most likely to cause young people to feel depressed and lonely out of all major social media apps. I agree with this and think a change needs to be made. I hope Instagram can come up with better data and coding systems to eliminate toxic posts.

    Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/19/instagram-most-likely-to-cause-young-people-to-feel-depressed-and-lonely-out-of-major-social-apps-study-says.html

  3. I think that censorship is a really tricky topic, especially in this day in age when social media is such a vital aspect of our lives. Obviously there should never be content online about self-harm, how to make weapons, etc. because that content is almost always used for bad reasons. However, it’s virtually impossible to eliminate this kind of content from the internet, especially because the dark web exists as well.

    Regarding Instagram’s censorship policies, I think they miss a lot of things that should be censored — like images and videos of self-harm — and focus on eliminating less dangerous content. In the article that I cited below, it talks about how plus-sized women are getting censored on Instagram with the removal of their posts and even the removal of their entire account. I think that Instagram’s censorship policies need to be looked at a little better to determine what posts should be removed.

    Grady, Lora. “Women Are Calling Out Instagram for Censoring Photos of Fat Bodies.” Flare, Flare, 18 Oct. 2018, http://www.flare.com/news/instagram-censorship-fat-plus-size/.

  4. This post was very eye opening for this topic. The content seeable on Instagram has always been broad. You can find mostly anything and everything on social media. So, searching self-harm, suicidal, and depressive content is always just a click away. I think Instagram is taking the right approach to handle this matter. Children should not be able to access those types of things so easy. I do not think this takes away from our first amendment when it has to do with self-harm and suicidal content for children. Things in that nature should not be that easy to access anyways, so Instagram filtering that content is helping more than it is harming. In the article by Charlie Nash a reporter for Breitbart Tech, says that Instagram will be adding “sensitivity screens” on post that are in the nature of harm to self or others. I think there is nothing wrong with that and can help restrict some access to this content. All in all, Instagram is taking a step in the right direction.

    Nash, Charlie. “Instagram Chief Admits Failure to Shield Teens from Self-Harm Content.” Breitbart, Breitbart News Network, 5 Feb. 2019, http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/02/05/instagram-chief-admits-failure-to-shield-teens-from-self-harm-content/.

  5. Personally I think when it comes to negatively influencing the younger generations to the point where it is dangerous, the first amendment should not be the first thing to worry about. Accounts that post inappropriate things online should either be private or reported.

    Luckily, Instagram moved fast on this issue and is releasing a sensitivity screen that blocks posts with cutting, suicide, abuse, etc. I think it is important for social media apps to have an age limit or kids version to protect the younger generation from things like this. Snapchat has a kids version that doesn’t allow them to see certain articles because it was deemed inappropriate. I would like to see more platforms implement similar things.

    Overall great post!

  6. This blog post is interesting to me because it relates to an article I recently read and wrote about myself. However, the only difference was in the company, YouTube has received some recent backlash on the content published on their site as well. More specifically, content related to conspiracy theories and posts related to it. These posts are becoming recommendations for users for no apparent reason, and it seems like the same is happening with Instagram. When you’re scrolling through your newsfeed or discover pages you might come across vulgar content with no relation to your interests. But, you might be following people who have interest in those topics, therefore they may appear for you because Instagram may think just because you follow them that you have the same interests as well. Obviously, that is not the case. That is why social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram need to reevaluate their data and coding systems to provide more accurate information for its users.

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