JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli president Isaac Herzog launched a campaign Tuesday in collaboration with Meta (Facebook) to change the face of online discourse in Israel.
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Herzog wrote an op-ed about the initiative, stating that “One cannot argue with the assertion that social media had brought much good to the world, allowing many views and the creation of worthy communities which help support and can even save lives. However there is no doubt that the boundaries of online discourse are too blurred and these wonderful platforms are also used for harassment, bullying, and violence. We are all exposed to insults, hurled curses and language which is unacceptable. The keyboard should not suffer everything and the net should not suffer everything and we too should stop suffering everything.
“This extreme and unfettered speech must change. The ability to bring about this change begins on the keyboard and cellphone of each and every one of us. A moment before releasing another insulting response because we can, just before we tar or censure with our words people who see things differently from us – we must stop, take a deep breath and remember: Crude language, humiliating words do not achieve anything. They just cause damage. Even more than this damages those we are attacking, it causes damage first and foremost to all of us: our society, our ability to live together and build a joint future together. This is the first and most basic level – a level in which we stop the keyboard aggression.
“There’s another level, of adding light and good in the world, as it is written in Tehillim -“turn from evil and do good.” Words have tremendous power, to create and change reality, to wreck but also to rebuild. By believing in our ability to bring about a change in social media discourse, I call on all of us to think good and invite you to join the campaign we are inaugurating at this time to encourage a different approach online.”
A number of Israeli ministers and politicians will be taking part in the initiative, dubbed “Think Good” (a play on words from the Hebrew original which also means “think carefully”), where they will share short video clips of themselves reading out hurtful or insulting comments directed at them with the offensive words censored and replaced with positive language.
The initiative is backed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, and Likud MKs Miri Regev and Miki Zohar, both known for their sharp tongues on TV spots. A number of celebrities and content creators will also take part in the campaign, including singer and online personality Anna Zak, judo star Peter Paltchik, and Arab Israeli journalist Mohammad Magadli, a regular commentator on Israel’s most popular newscast on Channel 12.
The vertical format of the screenshots made available to the media indicates that the videos with the participating figures will run on Instagram Stories (Instagram is owned by Meta/Facebook) and possibly Facebook Stories.
The purpose of the initiative, Herzog’s office said, was to “expose to millions of followers the difficulty of reading nasty replies, to encourage people to think twice before using hurtful language, and to think positive thoughts before hitting ‘reply.’”
The campaign will seek to raise public awareness about the consequences of online bullying and “encourage a more conciliatory and inclusive discourse on social media instead of hurtful rhetoric,” Herzog’s office said.
“People have become too ‘keyboard-happy,’ and red lines are constantly being crossed on social networks. I have set myself the central mission of moderating the hurtful discourse and bullying online, which harm us as individuals and as a society on a daily basis. I am glad to lead this very important project,” the president said in a statement Tuesday.
They need to get Archy involved in this.