Topic: Cyberbullying

For fashion houses, finding audacious ways to grab the attention of fans and consumers means trying to stand out in a crowded social media milieu. One of the most powerful tactics they can use is working with influencers. This is true for many brands, and it brings with it a specific risk: hatred directed at your valued personalities.

The UK Government just took another meaningful step toward addressing online abuse, drafting a Bill designed to deliver comprehensive legislation across a range of online harms and putting digital platforms on notice, especially social media sites.

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every aspect of our lives in the past 12 months, including how much we use digital technology and social media. We have turned online to communicate, socialize, learn, and play—with our screen time, in many cases, exceeding our offline activities. 

Harmful content has always been a necessary evil when engaging directly with consumers. For most brands, it used to be like cosmic radiation from the sun; always there, spiking periodically, but not terribly hazardous at low doses. Then 2020 exploded, releasing Chernobyl-type levels of contamination that have decimated the growth strategies of social media managers.

This year has completely changed the way the world does business. It’s not enough that a pandemic has created havoc on every aspect of the organization, it has also required companies and their leaders to step up and publicly state their values and take a stance on politically- and socially-charged issues in a way none of us has ever experienced.