Responsibility and sustainability of social media content moderation
Keywords:
social media, content moderation, Facebook, sustainability, sectarian violence, ethnic violence, hatred, discrimination, corporate responsibilityAbstract
The advent of internet and subsequent rise of social media platforms in the past two decades has led to the inevitable discourse around the technical, environmental, cultural, economic, and social responsibility and sustainability of these platforms and the role they play in an increasingly complex world. Although the merits of social media platforms in making the world more connected is indubitable, the far-reaching detrimental impact and consequences of these social media platforms on the local, national, and regional sustainability and stability has received scant attention. In this article, we consider how one of the social media platforms, Facebook, has been complicit in playing a pivotal role in fuelling sectarian violence and hatred in the country of Ethiopia. By focusing on the Ethiopian scenario, we aim to address the repercussions of negligent use of social media platforms, especially in developing countries in the Global South. More specifically, we call for an urgent reflection on social media content moderation policies and practices. We recommend relevant and practical suggestions and further argue that the proliferation of social media platforms must be balanced with social and corporate responsibility and sustainability.
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