Online bullying is a serious problem. But TikTok, the popular video-sharing forum, decided that it would “help” by limiting the reach of, wait for it, the people getting bullied.
The app targeted not only users who are fat, but also LGBTQ people and those with what they identified as intellectual disabilities, including Down Syndrome and Autism. Moderators were instructed to use internal moderation tools to severely limit the ability of videos from these groups to be seen, all without the video creator’s knowledge.
When confronted, TikTok claimed it was “meant to be a short-term solution.” An insider said that it had been going on for a long time, but it doesn’t really matter – it’s not a good solution for half a second. The idea that denying marginalized people a platform is a solution to bullying is trying to solve bullying with more bullying. It’s taking a bullied kids lunch money from them and then handing it to their bullies, then claiming that you protected them.
The problem is never marginalized people existing, the problem is always the shame, stigma, bullying, and oppression we face. Each of the groups targeted by TikTok faces these things in different ways, nobody from these groups is helped by being denied the platform that their bullies are being given.
Online bullying is a plague that can be anything from inconvenient to life-threatening for the victims. Those committing these acts are the problem, and stopping them is the solution. If TikTok has the technology to identify which users are more likely to be targeted by bullies, then they can direct their moderators to focus on those accounts to delete and block trolls.
Platforms should work to give marginalized people more representation while doing more to eliminate bullying. TikTok needs to do better.
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This is very serious. How can some people see help behind such actions? It scares me. They seem just too lazy to do anything about bullying, so they just get rid of those bullied. Horrible.
This is TikTok that’s strongly influenced by the government policy of the People’s Republic of China? Not really surprised they’re being oppressive dirtbags.
I happen to believe that the “cholesterol deniers” are right. The LCHF community is also facing this. Doctors who are part of the movement have posted lists of sites and doctors who have been affected, for instance the members of THINCS, each one an MD. Seeing how it’s happening here and in LGBTQ, there seems to be a general push toward quieting voices that are not mainstream. Yet that’s a large part of what makes the internet great. Sure trolls showed up and tried to ruin the benefit, but to censor this way is to let the bullies win and validates their efforts. If they’re going to validate something, let it be the small voices rarely heard.
Can you be that obtuse. Yes, they can. Here’s the “fix”? Deny the bullies their target? Not deny bullies the access To Bully!
Protip: if a person or entity tells you they want to cloister you away from family, friends, and the outside world with no voice or contacts so they can “protect” you, that person/entity is not trying to protect you. That person/entity is, in fact, someone you need protected FROM.