Last week, Selena Gomez spoke out against Facebook CEO and COO Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg for allowing ‘hate, misinformation, racism, and bigotry’ on their platform.
She had sent them a direct message on Instagram on Friday night.
When she apparently received no response from either Zuckerberg or Sandberg, she posted screenshots of her message on her Instagram Story. She urged her 193 million followers to spread awareness about the issue.
In the screenshot, she had written to Zuckerberg: “It’s been a while since we sat down. We have a serious problem.”
She continued, “@facebook and @instagram are being used to spread hate, misinformation, racism, and bigotry. I am calling on you both to HELP STOP THIS.”
She asked Zuckerberg and Sandberg to “shut down groups and users focused on spreading hate speech, violence, and misinformation.”
Ending the message, she said, “Our future depends on it. This is an election year. We cannot afford to have misinformation about voting. There has to be fact-checking and accountability. Hope to hear back from you ASAP.”
Her message comes directly after the social media freeze many celebrities participated in on Wednesday.
The freeze was a protest to the misinformation, racism, and bigotry present on both Instagram and Facebook. Celebrities such as Michael B. Jordan, Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Kardashian, Naomi Campbell, and Leonardo DiCaprio participated in this freeze.
All celebs froze their accounts after sharing the hashtag #StopHateForProfit.
According to Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence, “Facebook ignores hate & disinformation on their site. This is not an ‘operational mistake.’ It is a deliberate decision to put profits over people and democracy.”
Gomez, aged 28, has used her position as a famous singer and actress to speak out about many issues, including mental health, the BLM movement, and US politics. Currently, Gomez is more focused on politics, encouraging young people to vote in the polls in November.
By raising her voice against misinformation and racism on these platforms, she hopes to get more people voting in the upcoming election.