Social media content in times of war: an expert guide on how to keep violence off your feeds

Megan Knight, University of Hertfordshire

Social media platforms are an incredible supply of data and leisure. In addition they assist us to keep up contact with family and friends. However social media may also – and has, often – grow to be a poisonous atmosphere for spreading disinformation, hatred and battle.

Most individuals can’t or don’t wish to choose out of social media. Efforts by courts and state bodies to manage or management it are slowly catching up, however thus far have been unsuccessful. And social media corporations have a file of prioritising engagement over social profit.

Customers are left with a dilemma: profit from social media with out exposing themselves to distressing, damaging or unlawful content material. This turns into much more of a problem in instances of heightened international rigidity and battle. Each the battle in Ukraine and now the Gaza Conflict have elevated the danger of seeing horrifying and damaging images on one’s feed.

This text, based mostly on my research on information on social media, is a information to curating and enhancing your social media feeds to make sure that the content material you see is suited to your wants and isn’t offensive or disturbing.

It’s organised into the broadest social media classes. I’m not masking newer companies similar to Threads, Mastodon, Post and Bluesky, though the rules are usually relevant. I’ve targeted on utilizing these apps on a cell phone, as a result of that’s what the majority of users do, fairly than utilizing them on an internet browser. I’m concentrating totally on video content material.

Social media generally is a highly effective software for data and studying, however it’s a flawed one. No matter method you’re taking to managing your feeds, stay cautious and sceptical. Take note of updates to insurance policies and consumer agreements and contemplate rigorously who you belief and comply with.

Your selection or theirs?

Many social networks provide an algorithmically chosen feed as your first level of contact. The specifics of the algorithms usually are not publicly recognized and the businesses refine them always. The feed is essentially based mostly in your location and the subjects and folks you have got expressed an curiosity in beforehand (whether or not following, or just having watched or interacted with the content material). It could additionally embody different data similar to your age and gender, which you could have beforehand given the service.

Organisations and people make investments time and cash in making certain that their content material might be seen. Advertisers can even pay to have their content material proven to clients who meet their standards. It’s also essential to keep in mind that paid content material isn’t just items and companies on the market, however could also be a political or social agenda – typically one that’s hidden. That is the idea of fake news and deliberate misinformation.

Listed here are a number of methods to handle your social media feeds.

Watch out who you comply with

On all networks besides TikTok, the hot button is rigorously deciding on the folks you comply with.

On Twitter (X) the best choice is to maneuver away from the “for you” web page (which is the default view) and deal with the “following” web page. You possibly can’t take away the “for you” web page fully. The “following” feed consists of everybody you comply with, their tweets and their retweets.

If you’re seeing content material you don’t wish to, you’ll be able to unfollow, block or mute them.

The best solution to clear up your Fb information feed is to “unfriend” accounts. Another choice is to “unfollow” somebody: you stay pals, they’ll see your content material and have interaction with it, however their posts gained’t seem in your feed except they point out you otherwise you search it out. Or you’ll be able to “take a break” from somebody, which is a sort of momentary block. Blocking is probably the most excessive possibility. It would take away them and all of their content material and conceal all of yours from them.

Instagram gives related choices to unfollow and mute (just like Fb’s “take a break” possibility).

TikTok has solely restricted choices for customers to filter or curate their feeds. The “following” web page solely reveals creators you’re following (and adverts). It isn’t and may’t be set because the default view.

The “for you” web page is fully algorithm pushed. Clicking on a creator solely lets you comply with them, to not conceal or block them. You possibly can, nonetheless, block particular customers. Click on on their profile, then the share icon. “Report” and “block” are under the assorted share choices. Blocking removes their content material, however not different customers’ content material that options them.

Discover your settings

Many platforms have choices for limiting violent or graphic content material. On Fb that is buried within the Settings menu. From there, click on on Information Feed, then Cut back. You possibly can’t take away this content material, however you’ll be able to transfer it down in your feed.

On TikTok, lengthy urgent on the display brings up the choices panel. From there you’ll be able to report a video; there’s additionally a “not ” choice to take away that video and others with related hashtags out of your feed. Should you click on on “particulars” to see which hashtags might be filtered, you’ll be able to choose particular ones to dam. It’s not clear how dependable that is, nonetheless – hashtags change over time. Numerous hashtags apparently can’t be filtered, nevertheless it’s not clear what these are or why they’ll’t be filtered.

The “content material preferences” possibility below “settings” lets you filter video key phrases. That removes them out of your “for you” web page, your “following” web page, or each.

You may as well set TikTok to “restricted mode”. This limits entry to “unsuitable content material” – an opaque description.

Consumer beware

This isn’t an ideal information, since social media shouldn’t be designed to be managed by the consumer. These corporations are based mostly on consumer engagement: the extra time you spend on their app, the extra money they make. They’re not significantly eager about making certain the content material is useful or correct.

Megan Knight, Affiliate Dean, University of Hertfordshire

This text is republished from The Conversation below a Inventive Commons license. Learn the original article.