Instagram says it’s using machine-learning technology to detect bullying happening within photos on its platform. Though they didn’t get too specific, a new blog post from Instagram says their technology can “proactively detect bullying in photos and their captions and send them to our Community Operations team to review.”
According to CNN, “the tech can identify bullying tactics such as comparing, ranking and rating images and captions, such as a split-screen image in which a person is compared to someone else in a negative way.”
So, the AI is looking at split screen photos, and can determine if the intention is to bully someone in the photo? That’s both amazing and kind of scary. Bullying has long been a problem on Instagram.
This includes posting malicious or embarrassing photos, writing captions on insulting photos and tagging them, posting cruel remarks under a photo, tagging a bullying victim, adding a mean hashtag, or even creating a fake account of a bullying victim.
Instagram’s been called the Worst Social Media Network for Bullying, and in one UK study, 42 percent of users between 12 and 20 said they’d been bullied on the platform. That’s more than on Snapchat and Facebook.
Over the years, Instagram has taken steps to try and stop, or at least, lessen the frequency of bullying. In 2016, they added comment disabling, and the ability to remove followers from private accounts. And earlier this year they added a filter that removed comments containing attacks on a person’s appearance or character and threats to a person’s well-being or health.
In another new announcement, Instagram is launching a “Kindness Camera” in partnership with dancer Maddie Ziegler. The camera effect is available to followers of Maddie, and fills the selfie camera with hearts. Users are encouraged to tag a friend in their stories with the effect in order to “spread kindness.”
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Maddie said she was encouraged to partner with Instagram on the effect because of her firsthand experience with online bullying. So, it’s good to see Instagram continues to take bullying seriously and is extending its commitment to prevent bullying on their platform.
Have you ever been bullied on Instagram? How do you feel about this development? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.
