This Flag- Not A Symbol of Pride

It doesn’t represent a symbol of freedom or pride, nor does it have anything to do with surrendering. Most of us hardly pay any attention to it. Sometimes, we click on it accidentally when searching for additional information. The flag that hides behind the three dots on our YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms is a tool for reporting comments or content violating that specific site’s policies. Have I ever used the flag? Only once, as far as I can remember. What I also remember about that report is that it offended me. More than likely, the content was racist, which is what comments get to me. That is also one issue with the flags from an objective POV. What is offensive to me might not be offensive to others. There are over 7 billion people in the world. If everyone reported something awful according to our beliefs, the flags would turn red.

According to an article in New Media & Society,” (PDF) What Is a Flag For? Social Media Reporting Tools and the Vocabulary of Complaint (researchgate.net) flags bear a great deal of weight, arbitrating both the relationship between users and platforms and the negotiation around contentious public issues.” The article says that the flag is not just a reporting tool but “a complex interplay between users and platforms, humans and algorithms, and the social norms and regulatory structures of social media.” The article states that Flags are not stable expressions; their effects are often uncertain, and their meaning is unclear. But these flags serve two purposes. It assists in regulating mass amounts of media uploaded to social media by allowing user input. It also allows sites to remove user content under the rouse of community requests.

What is considered offensive is subjective and can be random when looking from the outside. I follow many content creators on TikTok who have had their pages snatched by responding to bullies while actual bullies were protected. According to the article, flags matter because social media platforms are not just providers of content or spaces of online activity but keepers of the public discourse. But if you are a content creator on a social media platform, and your content is continuously flagged, it is an issue. With profiles available for most content creators and commenters, it may be possible for specific groups and their comments to be targeted. Under these conditions, removing yourself from that platform would be the only solution. I don’t know if you can fight flagging. With so many platforms available to express oneself, I think it would be easier to throw in the towel or the white flag…so to speak.