Twitter is a platform to make one's voice heard, but it lacks a strong policy against harassment. Actors and activists are therefore boycotting the social media platform for a day. The campaign, #WomenBoycottTwitter, kicked off at midnight in New York and will be on all of today, Friday (13 October).
#WomenBoycottTwitter Friday, October 13th. In solidarity w @rosemcgowan and all the victims of hate and harassment Twitter fails to support. https://t.co/G0my9EyKpQ
— Kelly Ellis (@justkelly_ok) October 12, 2017
Looks like we've got the day off tomorrow, feminists. #WomenBoycottTwitter https://t.co/Czp3SHyYSA
— dory ashore (@doryashore) October 12, 2017
It all started when Rose McGowan, one of the many who have accused film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, took the drastic step to partially suspend her Twitter account. Women from across the world started following her footstep.
McGowan had tweeted several times this week about Weinstein and about Ben Affleck. McGowan’s movement has led to an outrage on Twitter, voicing up against its inability to control abuse against women (noticed very often) on the platform.
Some of the tweets are:
Hey @Twitter let us know which of these rules @rosemcgowan broke. Asking for multiple victims of sexual violence. https://t.co/eiZjQeMAVg
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) October 12, 2017
Jemele Hill gets suspended.
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) October 12, 2017
Rose McGowan gets suspended.
Trump spews hate daily and nada.
Notice a pattern here? Silencing women!
Rose McGowan attacks sexual harassers. Gets suspended.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) October 12, 2017
Richard Spencer attacks minorities. Gets blue checkmark.
Wow, @Twitter, seriously? THIS is the account you suspend but not Trump who threatened to wipe out another country? Suspend me too, please. https://t.co/ZHhvIkfEcN
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) October 12, 2017
Editor and consultant Heidi Moore was among the first to give nod to the idea.
Come on ladies let’s get in formation.
— Heidi N Moore (@moorehn) October 12, 2017
Friday October 13th seems a good boycott day.
Cc @OhNoSheTwitnt @JessicaValenti @feministabulous https://t.co/o2ivS9GmU7
Similarly, few A-listed celebrities have since joined in. Chrissy Teigen, John Cusack, Anna Paquin and McGowan’s Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano to quit Twitter in solidarity.
#IStandWithRose .@rosemcgowan and all the other victims. #WomenBoycottTwitter tomorrow. https://t.co/XTXtFMv2CM
— Anna Paquin (@AnnaPaquin) October 13, 2017
My mentions since posting #WomenBoycottTwitter 3 minutes ago #thisiswhy pic.twitter.com/c1GKSmBu32
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 13, 2017
In in :) https://t.co/ylX1BQBwDs
— John Cusack (@johncusack) October 13, 2017
Tomorrow (Friday the 13th) will be the first day in over 10 years that I won’t tweet. Join me. #WomenBoycottTwitter pic.twitter.com/xoEt5Bwj5s
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 13, 2017
Men, including Mark Ruffalo, joined the league:
Tomorrow I follow the Women. #WomenBoycottTwitter
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 13, 2017
Ok ok Jesus, let me clear this up. #WomenBoycottTwitter will not silence us, but @Twitter will make much less $$ b/c of fewer clicks. I’m in pic.twitter.com/LPEbKJwpgM
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) October 13, 2017
The "WomenBoycottTwitter" hashtag is trending when one user pointing out:
Looks like we've got the day off tomorrow, feminists. #WomenBoycottTwitter https://t.co/Czp3SHyYSA
— dory ashore (@doryashore) October 12, 2017
Men invited too. @rosemcgowan’s experience is one that should never be repeated, and if you support that, #womenboycottTwitter Fri Oct 13. https://t.co/n12bDvnm5B
— Heidi N Moore (@moorehn) October 12, 2017
McGowan and other women have been harassed online. Hence, the boycott.
At midnight we RISE https://t.co/ihKLLczUww
— Rose McGowan (@rosemcgowan) October 13, 2017
When this campaign came up unexpectedly, Twitter released a statement on Thursday explaining:
We have been in touch with Ms. McGowan's team. We want to explain that her account was temporarily locked because one of her Tweets included a private phone number, which violates our Terms of Service. 1/3
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) October 12, 2017
The Tweet was removed and her account has been unlocked. We will be clearer about these policies and decisions in the future. 2/3
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) October 12, 2017
Twitter is proud to empower and support the voices on our platform, especially those that speak truth to power. We stand with the brave women and men who use Twitter to share their stories, and will work hard every day to improve our processes to protect those voices. 3/3
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) October 12, 2017
READ: #HelpMeWCD: Maneka Gandhi Launches New Campaign For Women And Children
ALSO READ:Neeti Mohan Joins UN Campaign Of Women’s Empowerment
Also Read: Law alone can’t deter sexual harassment at workplace
Feature Image Credit: Los Angeles Times
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