Is this move for better or for worse?
When hundreds of snake emojis disappear from Taylor Swift’s Instagram account overnight, you know something’s up. And that something just happens to be the start of Instagram censorship – scary, right?
Taylor Swift’s Insta-page was flooded with snake emojis after Kim Kardashian’s SnapChat expose (how millennial - if you need a refresher on the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty, read this first), but it wasn’t long before every single serpent mysteriously disappeared from Taylor’s comments. Weird, considering up to now you could only delete comments one by one. But it turns out Instagram had instead handed Taylor a new tool allowing her to delete abusive comments en masse. Sorry, Rachel Roy, those lemon emojis came three months too soon…
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Instagram have since confirmed the anti-abuse tactic, telling Metro UK ‘We’re always looking for ways to help people have a positive experience on Instagram’. While Taylor is the first person to publicly use the tool, the app is rumoured to be rolling it out to a handful of their most followed (and most trolled) users. So what does this mean for social media and freedom of expression?
Celebrities have to put up with a lot online. They’re trolled on a daily basis, told to kill themselves, insulted, mocked and basically bullied, but it’s all ‘ok’ because they’re ‘famous’? Nope, it’s not OK. And the fact that Instagram is doing something about it is definitely a step in the right direction.
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It’s about time social media took a stand against the horrific racist, sexist and ageist (we could go on…) abuse hurled at people in the public eye behind the safety of an iPhone screen, especially after Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones was forced to quit Twitter to get away from the relentless racist and misogynistic comments she had to scroll through every single day. But who gets to decide what’s abusive, and what’s healthy debate? Giving someone permission to mass delete comments that they deem ‘spam’ might be the start of a dangerous game, where celebrities and brands can manipulate their online image in an unfairly favourable way.
Social media has always been about freedom of expression, and breaking down barriers between A-listers and their fans. Will this new tool build those walls back up? Let us know whether you think Instagram's new tool is overdue or a dangerous move below...
Is Instagram Censorship The End Of Social Media As We Know It?
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