People on the internet can be really fucking rude. Internet trolls have weaseled their way in to every online crevice to make people feel bad about themselves for any given reason. So, given Instagram’s vast amount of users, the social media giant is no stranger to rude ass people using their platform to spew hate. And they’re finally doing something great to combat this.
Instagram is paving the way to discourage people from commenting hurtful things. Literally. If Instagram finds your comment to be potentially offensive they’ll notify you. It’ll be a subtle notification though. It won’t call you out saying, “hey don’t be a dick.” But, when an offensive comment is about to surface the app will ask if you’re sure you want to post your comment. Basically it’ll ask you, “are you sure you want to be a dick?”
According to Instagram, “From early tests of this feature, we have found that it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect.” So this addition may work well in limiting hurtful commentary on people’s Insta pictures.
Instagram is also aiming to protect people on the receiving end of online bullying. They’re about to roll out a new feature called “Restrict.” And this addition will allow you to have more control over the commentary on your feed.
If you choose to restrict someone, their comments on your post will only be visible to them. And they won’t be notified that you restricted them.
They added the restrict feature because they claimed users felt uncomfortable blocking or reporting people who were bullying them. So in doing this, they’re hoping to further challenge bullying on their platform.
In a world where people are literally like doing everything for the gram, bullying on this platform can seriously damage people’s well being. So these additions will be really important going forward. And while saying hurtful things in any situation is not okay, online bullying is an increasing issue.
According to research by ReachOut, bullying happens a quarter of the time online to Aussies 14 to 25 years old. And one in four people experience bullying “every few weeks or more.” It sucks that being hurtful has become this popular.
Instagram’s blog release written by CEO Adam Messori said, “We know bullying is a challenge many face, particularly young people. We are committed to leading the industry in the fight against online bullying, and we are rethinking the whole experience of Instagram to meet that commitment.”
Good on you Instagram for taking action against online bullying. We need more of this.
Image Source: Unsplash, Instagram Info Center
