(Jewish Group) Antisemitism is constantly evolving -- social media companies need to as well
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and the world’s largest social media company, took an unprecedented and much-needed step to protect Jews and Israelis from antisemitic harassment last week. It instituted new protocols to prevent users from skirting their rules against hate speech by substituting the word “Zionist” for “Jew” or “Israeli.”
Fighting antisemitism is a bit like playing whack-a-mole. Antisemitism is an ever-evolving hatred, and conspiracy theories and tropes continue to present in different ways. For millennia, Jews have been scapegoats and cast as a source of evil. In medieval times, they were blamed for spreading disease and kidnapping and murdering Christian children; in post-WWI Europe, they were race polluters, and today, we — or “Zionists” — are attacked over the existence of Israel, which itself has become a symbol and alleged perpetrator of these antisemitic conspiracies.
To effectively counter antisemitism — especially online — we must recognize that today’s antisemitism looks different than that of previous generations. Meta’s new policy is an important step toward that end, banning users from targeting “Zionists” with dehumanizing comparisons (e.g. “Zionists are pigs”) and calls for harm or denials of existence (e.g. “Zionists shouldn’t exist”) if used as a proxy for Jews or Israelis.
All social media companies and online platforms must follow Meta’s leadership and take similar action to keep all of their users safe.
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Too bad more social media sites don't take this seriously or are willing to take a stand.