The Facebook Boycott

Starting July 1st, Facebook could be short a few major advertisers. There are growing concerns with Facebook’s advertising practices and some have said enough is enough.

Who’s taking part?

Honda  Motor Company, Verizon and even Hershey chocolate are a few of the major companies that are taking part in this boycott. The campaign ‘Stop Hate for Profit’ was started to pressure these social media giants to change the flexibility they have when it come to topics like hate speech as well as misinformation. The plan is to run this boycott for 30 days.

In an article published by The Verge, companies like Coca-Cola, Unilever and Starbucks are removing their advertising from all social platforms. In a show of support, Microsoft has also cancelled all it’s Facebook advertising until September 1st.

How it started

It all started when a group of civil rights organizations got together and launched this campaign on June 17th.  Groups such Color of Change, the NAACP and Anti-Defamation were all involved. Their argument is that Facebook has allowed certain hate groups to not only exist but grow using the platform, making the ability to reach new people frightfully easy.

This group is looking for certain changes. They would like hate speech and the algorithms around it updated. The hope is that someone would be brought on board at a C-level with some expertise is social justice and civil rights. This person would oversee audits and offer a polite out to those that are showing content that is ‘problematic’.

My thoughts

This is a win win. Standing with these other companies shows incredible unity for what the world is going through. It’s one thing to post a blank picture or make a statement on your social media. It’s another thing to cut a flow of incoming traffic in the name of this movement. The second win is from from the bottom line. Cutting this ad spend will ultimately help the overall profitability during a time that has been challenging for everyone. I say good on them.

Source: The Verge