By Janine Erasmus
Social media used to be fun. It still is, if you’re careful, but nowadays the various mainstream platforms are hotbeds of toxicity, abuse, and fake news, which serve no purpose but to drive a particular agenda or to cause division. People are having to learn about how to be vigilant when consuming information on social media.
Let’s be clear – social media has a positive impact on society too, such as connecting family members and old friends who live far apart, allowing organisations and companies to raise awareness of certain issues or share educational material, or giving people the chance to experience other countries and cultures without having to travel. There are many benefits to using social media, just as there are many disadvantages.
But the very interconnectedness of these platforms provides its own danger, that of amplifying unsafe content. The situation at the moment, research has found, is that people’s perceptions are that misinformation and other unacceptable material is almost guaranteed to go viral, whereas accurate and more nuanced content will not, though it certainly should.
While vulnerable groups such as sexual minorities, women, and older adults are all common targets of social media abuse or are influenced by its content, research has also found that younger people who have not yet found the maturity to be resilient may be at higher risk. “Young people may be particularly vulnerable to social media’s charms – as well as its harms,” notes the American Psychological Association.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) wants to tackle these divisive tactics with the release of its social media charter, which aims to create awareness and suggest ways in which social media platforms can be used responsibly while being aware of the rights of users and others.
The commission is particularly concerned about the violation of rights on social media and says complaints about such violations have directly impacted its workload and undermined efforts to promote the preservation of human rights in South Africa.
Guidance for social media users
The idea for a social media charter grew out of the National Hearing on Racism and Social Media that the SAHRC hosted in 2017. The very first comment in the hearing report relates to racism on social media. “Racism, racial bias and racial discrimination expressed on social media platforms in South Africa is routine and pervasive … and social media platforms provide a fertile breeding ground through which it manifests, and is proliferated, allowing for real-time widespread harm and further entrenching hatred.”
The SAHRC acknowledges that social media platforms promote democratic values by allowing for the right to freedom of expression, access to information, the search for truth, and robust public debate – but at the same time various forms of “prejudicial expression” are increasingly being communicated via those platforms. Thus, social media has become an easy way to spread content that violates the basic human rights of other users – or even the rights of people who do not use social media.
While freedom of expression is guaranteed under the Bill of Rights, there are exceptions under that same Bill of Rights. Furthermore, says the SAHRC, the line between protecting the right to freedom of expression of social media users on the one hand, and the rights of equality, dignity, and privacy of other persons on the other hand, is often difficult to establish.
This is where the charter will fill a gap by tying together constitutional rights and the use of digital platforms, if the aims of the SAHRC come to fruition.
“The charter sets out a guidance note for social media users explaining what is acceptable and unacceptable. Guidance notes are provided for issues such as harmful expression, defamation, privacy, crimen injuria, harassment and bullying, image-based violence, disinformation, misinformation, safety of children, and cyber bullying.”
It also provides clear, easily understandable definitions of these harmful practices, and outlines the steps to take if someone feels that their rights or others’ rights are violated.
An important principle upheld by the charter is that users of digital tools are not exempt from consideration for human rights. “This charter also serves to reaffirm that constitutional rights are equally applicable in the digital world as they are in the material world, and that harms in the online realm can manifest as human rights violations.”
All in all, the principles articulated in the charter, says the SAHRC, “represent the best practices which will strike the right balance between the competing constitutional rights that all too often come into conflict with each other on social media platforms”.
The result will hopefully be stronger social cohesion and a society whose diversity unites rather than divides it.
Safety of children
The charter is particularly focused on children, says the SAHRC, which is acutely aware of the need to protect this vulnerable group, and there is an entire section dedicated to the online safety of children. It provides guidance for parents and guardians, for instance in the safe use of their children’s photos on social media, and what to do if their child is harassed or bullied. It also suggests ways in which children themselves can exercise their rights responsibly while respecting the rights of others.
“A child’s digital footprint can develop well before they are active digital citizens, through the online activities of parents, caregivers, and families.”
Parents and guardians should be diligent about understanding the social media their children are using, and openly talk to their children about not only the people they are connecting with, but also the terms and conditions, age restrictions, and safety features such as channels to report abuse. It is also vital to explain to children that there are things they themselves may not do, because a child is presumed to have full criminal capacity from the age of 14.
Equally important, says the SAHRC, is teaching children how to tell the difference between things that may be true and those that may be untrue. Misinformation and disinformation is a huge risk for adults, let alone younger users, and in this case it is very true that knowledge is power.
Finally, there is a section written especially for children to read, which helps them to understand the importance of protecting themselves and others while online.
Comments