Hillary Clinton says abuse of female politicians on social media is 'viral'

LONDON - Female politicians are facing a backlash over women's rights which has been fueled by social media that rewards abusive posts and conspiracy theories, former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Sunday.

Women in the public eye still face scrutiny over their looks and pressure to behave politely and meekly in a way that men do not, said Clinton as she discussed a book co-authored with her daughter Chelsea Clinton about inspirational women leaders.

Her comments came after a number of female members of parliament in Britain announced they would not stand for re-election at a Dec. 12 general election, citing abuse on social media including rape and death threats.

"I do think there is a reaction to a lot of the success of women and the roles of women right now," Clinton told an audience at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in central London.

"And I think social media has lit that up, in a very destructive and toxic way. People may have thought a lot of things in the past but now it is amplified and it is viral."

Clinton, who lost out on her bid to become the first female president of the United States at the 2016 election, has said misogyny "certainly" played a role in her defeat to Republican rival Donald Trump.

An international study last year by Atalanta, a social enterprise dedicated to advancing women's leadership, found female lawmakers were three times more likely than men to receive sexist comments than their male colleagues.

Clinton said the scepticism towards Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg from some critics revealed how much gendered norms still prevailed in many areas of public life.

"She is a young women, so the idea that she is standing up and speaking out as effectively as she has just rattles all of the paradigms that people still live with," she said.

"There's almost an ancient DNA imprinting about 'This is what women are supposed to do and this is what they are supposed to look like' and you are not supposed to be so pushy and aggressive ... it is maddening how much that still operates."

The Clintons said they hoped their "The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience" would inspire women to stand up for their beliefs - and help men and boys find female heroes.

It comes amid a growing debate over remaining glass ceilings for women, with U.S.-based Women's March demanding rights, while the #MeToo movement on social media against sexual abuse has sparked wider debates on pay, representation and sexism.

Clinton said she was optimistic for future political candidates and others reaching into male-dominated spheres, but change was needed to ensure they had an equal chance of success.

"It is the structures of power that should change. Why are they so set on making it so difficult for not only women but people of colour and others to get into the room?" she said.

"We are really aware of that. I lived that."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Facebook hides 'likes' in Australia trial to ease anxiety

SYDNEY - Facebook has begun hiding the number of "likes" for posts in Australia, it said Friday, a trial designed to ease social pressure that could be rolled out worldwide. 

Account holders across the country will also be blocked from viewing the number of reactions and video views on other people's posts from Friday, but will still be able to see how people respond to their own. 

"We don't want Facebook to feel like a competition," the company said in a statement. 

"This is a test to see how people engage with this new format." 

"We hope to learn from this over time in order to see if we will roll this out more broadly." 

More than one billion people use Facebook worldwide, but the social media giant has come under pressure to combat the platform's impact on mental health. 

In Australia, one in five children report experiencing cyberbullying, according to the country's eSafety commissioner. 

The problem received national attention last year when a 14-year-old girl -- who starred in adverts for a well-known Australian hat brand -- killed herself after being bullied online. 

Facebook's decision comes after it launched a trial in July to hide "likes" on the company's other major social media platform, Instagram. 

What began as a test on Instagram in Canada was expanded to Australia, Brazil and several other major markets. 

The Facebook trial was described as "a limited test in order for us to get some early learnings."

"While this has been testing on Instagram, Facebook and (Instagram) are different surfaces and we will likely see different data come from this test." 

The news was met with a mix of "skepticism and appreciation" from cyberpsychology researcher Jocelyn Brewer, who welcomed Facebook's review of the impact of "vanity metrics" on people's wellbeing.

But users will find other means to express a reaction, she added. 

"As with many behaviours, I believe it is likely that people will adapt from liking to commenting and other actions that achieve online recognition and identity signalling," Brewer told AFP. 

The social media giant did not confirm how long the trial would run for.

"We want to understand from people whether removing the total counts improves their experience, while also not limiting any positive interactions," said Mia Garlick, of Facebook Australia. 

ddc/rma

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Instagram moves on online bullying with pop-up warning

WASHINGTON, United States—Instagram on Monday announced new features aimed at curbing online bullying on its platform, including a warning to people as they are preparing to post abusive remarks.

"It's our responsibility to create a safe environment on Instagram," said a statement from Adam Mosseri, head of the visually focused social platform owned by Facebook.

"This has been an important priority for us for some time, and we are continuing to invest in better understanding and tackling this problem."

One new tool being rolled out is a warning generated by artificial intelligence to notify users their comment may be considered offensive before it is posted.

"This intervention gives people a chance to reflect and undo their comment and prevents the recipient from receiving the harmful comment notification," Mosseri said.

"From early tests of this feature, we have found that it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect."

Another new tool is aimed at limiting the spread of abusive comments on a user's feed.

"We've heard from young people in our community that they're reluctant to block, unfollow or report their bully because it could escalate the situation, especially if they interact with their bully in real life," Mosseri commented.

A new feature called "restrict" that is being tested will make posts from an offending person visible only to that person.

"You can choose to make a restricted person's comments visible to others by approving their comments," Mosseri added.

"Restricted people won't be able to see when you're active on Instagram or when you've read their direct messages."

The move by Instagram is the latest in a series of actions on cyberbullying by social networks to deal with hate speech and abusive conduct, which can be especially harmful to young users.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Teen who posted video about cyberbullying commits suicide

A bullied teen girl told her story with flashcards in a YouTube video.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

A Canadian teenager  who was bullied and tormented online by classmates --- and who described her ordeal in a heartbreaking YouTube video --- killed herself a month after she posted it on the web.

Amanda Todd died Wednesday. She was just 15.

But Amanda's mom doesn’t want the video — which explains how a photo of her topless daughter sparked the cyberbullying — to go away.


 “I think the video should be shared and used as anti-bullying tool,” Carol Todd told The Vancouver Sun.

“That is what my daughter would have wanted.”

She posted the video online Sept. 7.  It's not known how she killed herself on Wednesday.

The Vancouver-area teen tells her sad story in a slide show of short phrases printed on flashcards. It began when she was chatting online with someone who urged her to take her top off and expose her breasts. Amanda eventually gave into the stranger’s request.

A year later, the photo came back to haunt her, when it surfaced at school.

“Then nobody liked me,” one of the cards read. “I can never get that photo back.”

Amanda says she was mercilessly bullied, forced to change schools and eventually got into drugs and alcohol and began to cut herself. A peer made the photo of her breasts his Facebook profile photo. Another student punched her. Amanda tried to kill herself by drinking bleach, but was rushed to the hospital and survived.

Peers learned about that, too — and mocked the botched suicide attempt by posting pictures of bleach containers online, and tagging Amanda in the photos.

“She should try a different bleach,” one student wrote on Facebook, according to Amanda’s story. “I hope she dies this time and isn’t so stupid.”

Amanda was in the 10th grade at Coquitlam Alternate Basic Education in Coquitlam, near Vancouver.

The school was aware of the YouTube video before Amanda’s suicide and had “support in place,” according to Cheryl Quinton, a spokeswoman for the district.

Quinton described the alternative school as a “close-knit community” with only 200 students. Grief counseling is being provided.

“Bullying is a concern in every district,” Quinton said. “The element of social media, it adds a different element of danger. We’re [working to] continue the dialogue to heighten awareness of cyberbullying.”

source: nydailynews.com