Facebook and Instagram have followed Twitter’s lead permanently banning Tommy Robinson, the far-right founder of the English Defence League, from their platforms for repeatedly breaking the sites’ policies on hate speech.

Robinson was banned from Twitter in Mar 2018 for failing to follow guidelines around ‘hateful conduct’.

Facebook explained their reasoning in a blogpost: “When ideas and opinions cross the line and amount to hate speech that may create an environment of intimidation and exclusion for certain groups in society – in some cases with potentially dangerous offline implications – we take action.

“Tommy Robinson’s Facebook page has repeatedly broken these standards, posting material that uses dehumanizing language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims. He has also behaved in ways that violate our policies around organized hate.”

Are we surprised? And is this only the beginning?

In a recent report, Ofcom found that:

55% of social media users have seen something that has upset or offended them in last year
and, 47% of internet users have seen hateful content online directed at a particular group of people

Seeing hateful content is partly what social media is being fuelled by, extreme views and content creates debate, prompts all forms of ‘engagement’, and boosts post reach.

Yet still, 62% of us agree that the benefits of the internet outweigh such disadvantages so we plough through. But how is subjecting ourselves to hateful content impacting our mental health?

We recommend that you take time to reflect on your own Social Media usage with Seligman’s PERMA Model.

Positive Emotion

What results in positive emotions?

Are there some things that stir negative emotion? Can you reduce these?

Engagement

When online, were you actively engaging, or were the tasks just passive?

Relationships

Were there activities that helped you build relationship and feel more connected with others?

Meaning

Did social media give you any sense of purpose or meaning?

Accomplishment

Did you get a sense of accomplishment from your time using Social Media?

If you would like to explore these themes more, Lobster Digital are putting together workshops for small groups and classes to give you the space and tools to make Social Media work for you and your mental wellbeing.