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For anyone who wants to encourage Twitter Inc to finally do something about online safety -- especially for women, who are particular targets of mass harassment -- here is how the boycott tomorrow Friday April 9 can work. Add your own flair!
cc @Mochievous
cc @Mochievous
The boycott is for the entirety of Friday, April 9.
Feel free to adapt it to your timezone. All time zones are valid.
If you need an exact calendar entry, try midnight tonight EST to midnight Friday night.
No tweeting, no likes, no public engagement.
DMs are fine!
Feel free to adapt it to your timezone. All time zones are valid.
If you need an exact calendar entry, try midnight tonight EST to midnight Friday night.
No tweeting, no likes, no public engagement.
DMs are fine!
One concern people mention:
Why a boycott?
If we are bullied here, shouldn't we speak MORE?
To understand why a boycott works it's important to understand Twitter's business model.
Every time you tweet, the company makes money. It sells you, the tweeter, to advertisers.
Why a boycott?
If we are bullied here, shouldn't we speak MORE?
To understand why a boycott works it's important to understand Twitter's business model.
Every time you tweet, the company makes money. It sells you, the tweeter, to advertisers.
Here is how Twitter Inc makes money.
As you can see, it's from advertising.
What advertisers look for is: How much activity is on Twitter? How many people are looking at my ad?
That means you are the product. Every time you tweet, like, engage, Twitter can make money.
As you can see, it's from advertising.
What advertisers look for is: How much activity is on Twitter? How many people are looking at my ad?
That means you are the product. Every time you tweet, like, engage, Twitter can make money.
Why does that matter, if Twitter makes money by selling your eyeballs and promoting your activity to advertisers?
Because while Twitter is making $3.2 billion from advertising for itself, it is NOT spending much money making women (or anyone!) here safer from online abuse.
Because while Twitter is making $3.2 billion from advertising for itself, it is NOT spending much money making women (or anyone!) here safer from online abuse.
Is online abuse a problem?
Most people don't see it because victims of abuse hide it by blocking.
But online abuse is rampant and it is a powerful silencing and intimidation tool.
Amnesty International found women are abused EVERY 30 SECONDS here. https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/women-abused-twitter-every-30-seconds-new-study
Most people don't see it because victims of abuse hide it by blocking.
But online abuse is rampant and it is a powerful silencing and intimidation tool.
Amnesty International found women are abused EVERY 30 SECONDS here. https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/women-abused-twitter-every-30-seconds-new-study
What all that online abuse adds up to is that women here start to walk on eggshells, as in a real-life abusive relationship. They do not consider themselves to have the same freedom of speech because they are always anticipating abuse for every word.
Similarly, women who do speak face other online resistance from people who want to silence them.
Sealioning is one -- asking nuisance questions to exhaust the woman.
Sealioning is one -- asking nuisance questions to exhaust the woman.
What can Twitter Inc do about this? Plenty.
It can create a reporting tool for swarms.
It can improve its determination of what constitutes misogynistic harassment. (A crackdown).
PEN America has several suggestions here including an SOS button. https://twitter.com/mediagazer/status/1377593086876999687
It can create a reporting tool for swarms.
It can improve its determination of what constitutes misogynistic harassment. (A crackdown).
PEN America has several suggestions here including an SOS button. https://twitter.com/mediagazer/status/1377593086876999687
There are people who say "a boycott can't work." Of course it can -- and it did before. Any time a company sees its profits threatened it moves into action. https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7998705/twitter-new-safety-rules-enforcement-women-boycott-protest
For all those reasons, please consider joining the boycott tomorrow. In one (1) day off Twitter (a FRIDAY no less) you can show the company that it needs to respond to its users' concerns.
cc @jack @pichette @omidkordestani @Marthalanefox
cc @jack @pichette @omidkordestani @Marthalanefox
This is an inclusive effort. Include any community.
Way too many of us suffer this harassment and we tend to think it's an individual problem instead of what it really is, which is a systemic problem that Twitter Inc can and NEEDS TO fix.
Boycott tomorrow, Friday April 9.
Way too many of us suffer this harassment and we tend to think it's an individual problem instead of what it really is, which is a systemic problem that Twitter Inc can and NEEDS TO fix.
Boycott tomorrow, Friday April 9.
This tweet is a great reminder that online abuse here is a GLOBAL phenomenon. When I've been tagged in tweets with women from Africa, from India, from Asia, from Europe, I've seen that the harassment they get and it's intense. Many just shut down their accounts. https://twitter.com/zinvol/status/1380129741743734789
People who are abusive to women on Twitter are also -- NO SURPRISE -- abusive to women at home. Your favorite Twitter guy who likes to jump into women's mentions to dunk on them? Is probably horrible to the women in his life too. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9447525/Misogynistic-tweets-used-track-predict-domestic-violence-study-finds.html
Bad news everyone, such influential sock puppets such as "Porn and Muscle" and random anti-semites do not like the idea of the boycott. :(
Please read this compelling piece by @Mochievous.
Online life is, for most of us, completely intertwined in our real lives. Our friends, acquaintances and bosses are here.
We cannot pretend that online harm doesn't affect us IRL as well. https://medium.com/@Mochievous/why-the-april-9th-twitter-boycott-needs-to-happen-d9b0f4bd9c32
Online life is, for most of us, completely intertwined in our real lives. Our friends, acquaintances and bosses are here.
We cannot pretend that online harm doesn't affect us IRL as well. https://medium.com/@Mochievous/why-the-april-9th-twitter-boycott-needs-to-happen-d9b0f4bd9c32
