Why Are Kim Kardashian And Other Celebrities Boycotting Instagram and Facebook?
Kim Kardashian is doing something you probably never thought she would do: leave Instagram.
The reality star and near-constant presence on social media is part of a social media boycott, the #StopHateforProfit campaign, together with other famous faces who are turning their backs on Facebook and Instagram this Wednesday, September 16.
The campaign was organized by other civil rights activists such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jennifer Lawrence and Katy Perry, who will freeze their accounts for 24 hours. The protest is against the spread of "hate, propaganda and disinformation".
Kardashian has over 188 million followers on Instagram, and a significant source of her income comes from the social media platform, which makes her cutting off the platform kind of awesome.
"Misinformation shared on social media has a serious impact on our elections and undermines our democracy," Kim wrote in an official statement on Twitter “Please join me tomorrow when I will be “freezing” my Instagram and FB account to tell Facebook to #StopHateForProfit." All her other brands, including KKW Beauty, KKW Fragrances and Skims, will also go dark for a day.
Organizers of the #StopHateforProfit campaign, which launched in June, accused Facebook and Instagram of not doing enough to prevent hate speech and misinformation. Regarding the boycott, Katy Perry added: "I cannot stand still while these platforms turn a blind eye to groups and posts that spread hateful misinformation and intentional confusion."
In June, Facebook said it would label potentially harmful or misleading posts that were purposely left to their news value. But the #StopHateforProfit campaign demands for more to be done, and as a result, more than 90 companies have stopped advertising to support their efforts.
Though the immediate impact on Facebook as a whole may minimal, as is the sacrifice the celebrities are making to show their support, the campaign hopes to draw attention to Facebook's policies, as a social media giant, to be regulated.
The campaign is also joined by 1,200 other businesses civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, Color of Change and the ADL.
Find out more about #StopHateForProfit here.
