“Starting tomorrow, I’m disconnecting for a week” of all Meta social networks, singer Michael Stripe announced on Instagram on January 18. “It’s a form of protest,” he continued. “Please consider doing the same so that Meta can imagine that there are consequences to helping the far right advance in the United States and elsewhere.”
The initiative of the leader of the REM group is a response to the announcements of Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and owner of Meta (Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.) on January 7. He then announced his wish to “replace fact checkers with community notes” on its various social networks, opening the door to misinformation. He also detailed developments in moderation, for example regarding posts concerning LGBT+ people and women. He said he aspired to “less censorship” and therefore inevitably more tolerance for hateful content. The social media giant also decided on Monday January 13 to put an end to major programs designed to promote diversity in terms of recruitment.
Michael Stripe is not the only one to worry. NBC reveals that Google searches for ways to exit Meta apps have increased. In addition, after Mark Zuckerberg’s announcements, hundreds of users announced that they were leaving his social networks.
A slippery slope
Mark Zuckerberg’s comments had the effect of a thunderclap with their disturbing echo of the measures taken by Elon Musk on his social network fact-checking and lightened the moderation system, favoring a surge of hateful, dangerous and unverified content on the platform. The latter, who has now become Donald Trump’s right-hand man, has largely put X to the service of his campaign.
-Following this, several users worried about the platform’s misuse switched to competing networks, including Bluesky but also Thread, owned by Meta. Several personalities have also called for massively leaving X on January 20, the day of the inauguration of the American president. The initiative of a Meta strike, as proposed by Michael Stripe, is ultimately in the wake of this boycott of the little blue bird. The singer said, he is leaving temporarily then will notify when he returns. An ultimatum addressed to the platform, if its policy drifts like X.
It must be believed that these citizen movements have had some repercussions since Meta and X decided to adhere to a reinforced code of conduct this Monday, January 20 according to the European Commission. Coincidence of timing or not, the two American giants have subscribed to a text intended to fight against online hatred targeting people because of their origin, religion or sexual orientation, precisely on this inauguration day. The signatories undertake in particular to “every effort to examine at least two thirds” problematic content reported by users “within 24 hours”explained the Commission. It remains to be hoped that this approach will allow better control of the platforms.
