Anonymity in the new ethics era

New Ethics is a concept that describes the diverse phenomena associated with feminism, #MeToo, #I’mNotAfraidtoSay, BLM, cancel culture movements, as well as other types of struggle of minorities and oppressed groups for their rights in different countries.

In the new ethics era, many posts, personalities and events have received a new context. Now the attitude towards sexual violence, all sorts of harassment, grievances of racial minorities is radically changing in society.

Social networks are a massive tool for storing “crime” and, at the same time, for punishing a criminal.

In 2021, we often hear about scandals with tweets (director James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy for insulting tweets 2008-2011), posts on Instagram, bad phrases in YouTube interviews, for a hate-speech in the Clubhouse and Tik-Tok.

It seems that all social networks are mired in the mistakes of the past and in the near future we will face even more scandals.

Is there a social network that is ready for the rules of the new ethics?

Make provision for a rainy day but in good time

How the social network of our childhood prepared for modern realities long before.

The social network ASK.fm appeared in 2010 and on the wave of anonymity immediately became one of the favorite and fastest growing social networks among teenagers. We are sure that all millennials had accounts where they dreamed of receiving an anonymous declaration of love. A young audience is a big responsibility. It was important to protect users from profanity, bullying and misbehavior of those who anonymously allow themselves too much. In 2013, the social network introduced an AI-powered moderation tool that aims to block all user posts that violate the platform’s rules.

“Now the automatic moderation tool contains 1.4 million patterns. For example, in 2018, AI prevented 2,927,260 questions with inappropriate content from being sent, while in 2020 the number of such questions decreased by 69%. The global trend towards tolerance and respectful communication helps a lot in work. Awareness and friendliness of users frees moderation from a large number of complaints. Thanks to this, we have increased the speed of processing customer requests. ” – shared Victoria Moroz, head of ASKfm moderation department.

Due to the fact that the social network was forced to provide security while house and freedom rebelled in other social networks, today communication at ASKfm complies with the rules of the new ethics.

What else you should know before writing something on the Internet in 2021?

As a rule, it is common for children to voice their thoughts without evaluating the appropriateness. If you are past this age, then it is worth trying to show a little empathy for the interlocutor and assess whether it is worth expressing your opinion or it would be more appropriate to remain silent. Often this is about discussing the other person’s height, weight, appearance, and handicaps. It is not correct to discuss this.

If the comment you want to leave online begins with the words “I don’t want to offend, but …”, most likely you are sure that your statement will offend the person. It is worth figuring out why you are planning to write it. Perhaps, with a little thought, you will notice your hidden benefits in this.

How can I say my opinion to others on the Internet in a sustainable way?

• Check if your opinion has been asked.
• Use I-messages. Replace “this is a terrible dress” with “I don’t like these styles”.
• Be polite and remember that everyone has different tastes.
• Don’t gossip if you want to BE but not LOOK LIKE as a polite person.
• Separate action and personality. Your words should be connected only with the person’s deed, and not with the assessment of him.
• Speak in time, appropriate way, privately. Sometimes a one-to-one conversation is the best way to correctly convey information to the interlocutor.