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People within the board game hobby use social media to talk to fellow gamers. Whether it's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, we love to share our thoughts and opinions on the games we play. Unfortunately, this can lead to arguments and, in some cases, it can turn into something worse. It's worth pointing out that social media is full of disagreements, it's not just our beloved hobby where this happens.
Instagram are launching a new feature which will try to prevent nasty, irresponsible comments from making their way on to the platform. Let's take a closer look.
Instagram - Think Before You Send
The new feature encourages users to pause and think about what they're writing, before they post. The feature comes following increased pressure on Instagram to tackle bullying and trolling. The hope is to reduce the amount of upsetting content on the platform.
Instagram will use artificial intelligence to recognise when the user is typing words associated with frequently reported messages. A pop up will then appear with a prompt before the message is sent. It is hoped this will encourage more mindfulness when communicating with other users.
For example, if a user was to type; “you are so ugly”, they would be prompted with a message asking them “Are you sure you wish to post this? Learn more”. It's designed to allow the user the pause and think about what they've typed, before hitting enter.
If the user clicks to ‘learn more’ a notice informs them that Instagram is asking users to rethink and consider what they are writing.
This feature has been rolled out after recent high-profile case of teenager Molly Russell, who tragically took her own life. It is speculated this was as a result of content that was being viewed online, touching on distressing subjects such as depression and suicide. A feature like this may well discourage users from posting such high levels of content that can be disturbing and can be vital when considering how many young people use social media and can be influenced by these issues.
Of course, Instagrammers can always ignore this prompt and continue to send their message anyway, but they might just have second thoughts.
Zatu Says Play Nice
We want everybody to be able to go on social media and interact with friends, family, and fellow gamers. You're never going to always agree with what others are saying about a board game, but this doesn't mean that you can post nasty comments to others.
Hopefully, this new Instagram feature will make people think a little more about the messages they're sending. You're all welcome to join-in on our channels. You can find us on the following outlets:
We love interacting with our followers, and hearing your thoughts on our latest releases and blog posts.