Social media's role in civil unrest

The civil unrest happening right now in the UK has been front of mind for everyone in the country. The role that social media has played in the events has, in my opinion, showed not only the worst of our society, but the worst of social media too.

There is a responsibility that every social media user has, to understand how sharing content that depicts hatred and disorder, or promotes disinformation or violence, can bring about real world harm. What we have seen over the last week is social media used to coordinate and plan riots, to stoke hatred amongst individuals, to promote disorder and disinformation to millions, and the legal framework to control such a situation as this has shown itself to be completely inadequate.

I created Raise because I felt safety on social media lies in the hands of its 5 billion users, not of the few who make new laws or progress regulation. Those who are here to protect us legally on social media will be forever in a game of catchup. Now is the time that the world can unite to help create a safer society through the power of social media.

Everyone can make a difference today. Report any harmful content you see. Interrogate everything you watch on social media to understand where it came from and don't take anything on face value. And never tolerate social media activity that incites violence in any way.

A small but mighty team of volunteers is working at Raise to help bring about this change . We are working with charities, brands, influencers, educators and the media to make little changes that we hope will bring big benefits. And we want to do more. If you would like to talk to Raise about ways we could help you, your organisation, or work on a project where social media could become a force for good, get in touch.