5/27/22, 2:20 AM How activists are using Facebook in Myanmar for democratic ends, but Facebook itself also facilitated hate speech | LSE So… Aleksander Deejay Tamas Wells June 23rd, 2021 How activists are using Facebook in Myanmar for democratic ends, but Facebook itself also facilitated hate speech 0 comments | 6 shares Estimated reading time: 10 minutes Facebook and other social media sites are often idealised as a tool catalysing democratic change and Facebook itself claims helps to build ‘supportive… safe…informed…civically engaged and inclusive communities’. In Myanmar following the military coup in February this year, democracy activists made wide use of Facebook as a platform for mutual encouragement, information sharing and news updates. But when Facebook was used in Myanmar as a platform for hate speech and organised violence against Rohingya, the company was quick to deflect blame and stress the role of its users. There needs to be more focus on Facebook’s responsibility in managing its operations ethically and protecting those who may be at risk, write Dr Tamas Wells and Dr Aleks Deejay _______________________________________________ At varying times over the past 15 years, Facebook and other social media sites have been idealised by pundits, media, Western governments, and the tech industry as a tool catalysing democratic change during periods of political unrest in authoritarian countries. The events of the Arab Spring, in particular, propelled social media to the front lines of global attention as a potential democratising tool. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/seac/2021/06/23/how-activists-are-using-facebook-in-myanmar-for-democratic-ends-but-facebook-itself-also-facilitated-hat… 1/12