Kim Kardashian West said that she will not use her Facebook account on Wednesday to protest against the company for not doing enough to stop the online spread of hate and misinformation.
She will also stop using her Instagram account, where she has more than 188 million followers. (Instagram is owned by Facebook.) But it’s only a temporary halt: the protest is only set to last one day.
Such a sacrifice. So stunning and brave.
She announced the protest to her fans on Twitter:
Other celebrities including actor Mark Ruffalo (“The Avengers” series, “Spotlight”) and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen likewise pledged to boycott the social media platforms. For one day.
“Advertisers, FB employees and users are fed up,” the Borat actor tweeted when he announced his support for the effort. “Facebook – stop spreading the hate, lies and conspiracies that inflame our societies!”
Facebook targeted by political groups
According to NBC News, the protest is being pushed by the Stop Hate For Profit campaign, which is an umbrella organization that includes civil rights groups such as the NAACP, Color of Change, and the Anti-Defamation League. In addition to the one-day protest, NBC News also reports that the group said it would put out additional messages “calling out Facebook for its role in inciting violence, spreading racism and hate, and contributing to electoral disinformation.”
It’s unlikely that a one-day boycott will have any meaningful effect on the tech juggernaut. The coalition previously organized a month-long advertiser strike against Facebook earlier this summer, but Facebook’s stock price only briefly dipped before quickly rebounding.
Takeaway:
There are many good reasons to be critical of Big Tech, but a one-day protest is nothing but performative nonsense. If celebrities really want to force the company to act, they should abandon the social media platform for good.
Oh well. If nothing else, the hiatus may undo some of the damage Kardashian did back in 2014 when she broke the internet.
Kim Kardashian needs to reevaluate the true effect of whatever influence she thinks she has. Most people/followers are not going to follow suit and she ends up simply looking like a fool.
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I wish she’d abandon them for good like many of us non famous people have. They’re a scourge and things will only get worse the longer celebrities provide them with endless free publicity by using their platform.
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I don’t know what to think anymore, Kim is off line for a day and Kanye is at home peeing on his grammy! It is the end times!!
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No one is safe from attack anymore, and Joe Rogan is a self-proclaimed liberal. You just can’t have an opinion against the mob’s “group think.”
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