Today, life without Instagram is almost unimaginable for many people. The platform has become a way of life for many. Most of us don’t mind sharing a little bit about ourselves, often the bright side.
It has been nine years since Instagram was developed. Its exponential growth is evident as it is evidently a preferred social platform by many.
The photo and video-sharing social platform has managed to do some good for individuals and businesses. There is no denying that it has especially revolutionized how business is done. This is in addition to how to engage with audiences.
But it has not always been pretty.
Often, mean and abusive comments are directed at users, even for posts that are generally positive.
That is what necessitated Instagram’s latest move of combating online bullying.
The tools
Instagram is now offering two new anti-bullying features to its platform to combat cyberbullying and in the process minimize the devastating effects it can have on young people.
This comes at a time when studies link social media to youth depression and suicide.
‘We know bullying is a challenge many face, particularly young people,’ Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, said when announcing the new features.
The first anti-bullying feature Instagram added is the one that helps prevent harmful comments before they even appear on the site. It is some sort a comment warning.
Mosseri also pointed out that in the last few days, Instagram has started rolling out a new feature. Powered by AI, this feature, will notify people when their comment may be considered offensive before it’s posted.
The feature gives users a chance to reevaluate a hurtful comment they might post with the hope that that they will either change it or not post it at all. The idea is to give you a heads up like ‘Hey, this might be offensive,’ but it does not block you from posting.
Early testing of this feature is promising as it shows that some users reconsider and that fewer hurtful comments are made.
The second feature added aims to help victims of bullying. Named Restrict, this feature allows person who is being bullied to manage unwanted comments.
Here’s how it works: Restrict gives you power such that any comments cyberbullies make on your post will not appear to the public until you approve them.
That’s not all:
The features ensures that the Restricted person will not see when you are online or when you read their direct messages
This feature is awesome seeing that young people are often reluctant to block, unfollow, or report their bully for fear that it could go left, especially if they interact with their bully in real life.
The Restrict button is a great alternative to a block, unfollow, or report and the best part is that it does not notify someone who may be targeting them.
Instagram’s new anti-bullying features are being added months after its older sibling, Facebook, adopted similar features of its own. The anti-bullying features added to Facebook back in October allows a person to delete and hide unwanted comments and also report another user anonymously.
The latest step promises a safer Instagram environment . Let’s hope it delivers on this promise.
Do you think that the new features will help to minimize cyberbullying cases on Instagram? Talk to us in the comments section.
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