INSTASNAPS OF THE MONTH
Following Facebook’s decision not to remove President Trump’s controversial “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” May 29 post commenting on Minneapolis protests amid widespread public dissent, Mark Zuckerberg faced harsh criticism from both civil rights activists and hundreds of his own employees who staged a virtual walkout by taking the day off in solidarity with the black community. This comes in the wake of rising Twitter-trump tensions following the platform’s decision to slap a rule-violation notice on the President looting-shooting statement in response to public criticism. “I knew that I would have to separate out my personal opinion,” Zuckerberg told employees in a video conference meeting. “Knowing that when we made this decision we made, it was going to lead to a lot of people upset inside the company, and the media criticism we were going to get.” The explanation nevertheless did not sit well with the audience, notably after Facebook’s alleged controversial role in Trump’s political rise and election campaign revealed in the 2018 Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Kendall Jenner set the record straight after a photoshopped picture of her holding a BLM sign posted to Facebook circulated on social media after users spotted the absence of the sign from her shadow. “I DID NOT post this," the reality star and model clarified in a tweet, explaining that the photo did not appear on her account but was posted by someone else who added the sign into an older picture of her using Photoshop. This comes as another instance where social media users are quick to call out celebrities based on fragments of information without actually taking the time to look into the real story.
Zuckerberg Blasted over Decision to Keep Controversial Trump Post
Kendall Jenner Claps Back at #BLM Sign Photoshop Controversy
Bullied Boy Viral Video Mobilizes the World: The Quaden Bayles Story
An Australian mom posted a Facebook video of her crying 9-year-old after he was bullied for dwarfism at school, racking up around 25 million views and mobilizing people across the world to stand against all forms of bullying. In the now-deleted viral video, the Aboriginal boy named Quaden Bayles makes comments about taking his own life following several instances of bullying due to his condition. Bayles was quick to receive support from social media users and celebrities who stood with him to spread awareness around bullying. A Gofundme page was also set up to collect donations for the boy and help send him to Disneyland. As the video grew in popularity, conspiracy theories began to emerge around the boy’s age as some claimed he was an 18-year-old actor, which led him and his mother to drastically reduce their social media activity amid the emergence of many fake accounts impersonating him. Following a period of social media silence, the boy’s family ultimately spoke to Australia’s National Indigenous Television [NITV] of their decision to donate all of the raised money to charities focused on helping individuals affected by bullying and discrimination. On March 10, Bayles thanked everyone for their support and admitted to be feeling better following the heartwarming response to his cause during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.
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