Facebook and its affiliate Instagram are now facing another battle together as social media platforms. Several huge advertising companies and products, first connected with both platforms, are now withdrawing their businesses with the two giants. Here's why.
Here's why advertisers are now leaving Facebook
On Monday, June 22, outdoor clothing company Patagonia closes its doors for Facebook and Instagram to be used as a platform for advertisements.
Patagonia was already the third huge company that withdrawn its businesses with Facebook and Instagram. The other two companies are outdoor recreation companies The North Face and Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI).
All of them seek explanation and resolution from both platforms regarding the increasing mass social justice protests happening in the United States. The companies supported the campaign against the platforms with hashtag #StopHateForProfit.
This campaign, first started last week, was led by a coalition of organizations including the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Common Sense, and other civil rights groups. These groups told advertisers to ban the platforms in line with all their issues of supporting hate, bigotry, racism, and the likes.
Interestingly, it was supported by several companies.
"As companies across the country work hard to ensure that Americans have access to free and fair elections this fall, we can't stand by and contribute resources to companies that contribute to the problem. We stand with #StopHateforProfit in saying Facebook's 'profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism, and violence,'" said Cory Bayers, head of marketing for Patagonia. "We will pull all ads on Facebook and Instagram, effective immediately, through at least the end of July, pending meaningful action from the social media giant."
Why are Facebook and Instagram bombarded with #StopHate?
Since the issue of George Floyd's death began, several mass protests happened all over America. In the social media world, the same protests were also evident.
This issue was even stirred more when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg fails to censor the U.S. President Donald Trump regarding its posts about 'glorifying violence' in the social media app.
"It is clear that Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, are no longer simply negligent, but in fact, complacent in the spread of misinformation, despite the irreversible damage to our democracy," said The North Face - owned by VF Corp., which also owns Vans and Timberland.
"We cannot stand by and be complicit to or complacent about the spread of hate, racism, and misinformation, and that is why we are supporting the Stop Hate for a Profit advocacy campaign, which calls for pausing advertising on all Facebook platforms in the month of July. Upwork will pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram as a part of this campaign," said Hayden Brown, CEO of the online freelancing platform Upwork.
As of now, Facebook hasn't yet responded to comments.
