Get paid to help me prove Facebook discriminates against women and other minorities
I keep getting banned for things like calling my dog dirty...
This week, I had about a dozen Facebook comments flagged for “spam” or “hate speech.” My crime? Talking about what a fair rate is to pay a house cleaning company. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sanctioned for calling my dog muddy, and accused of hate speech for discussing the widespread idea that men’s emotions aren’t emotions. A good friend got banned for calling a man “creepy” for hitting on young girls, but the guy who hit on young girls received no discipline.
I’ve reported hundreds of comments over the years—rape and death threats, obvious spam, abuse, racism, and more. I am always told the comment in question does not violate community standards.
Others echo this sentiment, and the general consensus seems to be that making any statement at all about white men will get you hit with a ban. And once you’ve been disciplined, your account will be perpetually flagged for random, non-abusive content.
So I need help to write about this! I cannot deliberately seek a Facebook ban because my job depends on Facebook. If yours doesn’t, and you can tolerate getting temporarily banned from Facebook, then I hope you’ll help.
Here’s how it’s going to work: I am recruiting volunteers to test Facebook’s algorithm. Anyone can participate by following the guidelines listed below. I am also offering to pay 10 readers to test the algorithm. I will pay $25 for following the instructions below. If you get banned or disciplined, and provide me with proof, I will pay you an additional $25.
How to help me document Facebook’s unequal enforcement
I will pay the first 10 people to contact me asking to participate for pay. Simply email me at zawn.villines@gmail.com with your PayPal email address or CashApp. Your subject line should read “Facebook Experiment” so that I don’t miss your email. I will pay at the end of the experiment.
If you are not among the first 10 to email me, then you can still volunteer to be a part of this project.
Here is how to participate, whether you are being paid or volunteering:
You must post identical content on Facebook speaking about a minority group and a majority group. For example, “Men are trash” and “Women are trash.” Use the same phrasing for both comments. If you are being paid, please post a minimum of five such pairs of comments.
Your comment MUST NOT contain actual hate speech or threats of violence. Here are some examples of the type of content you can post:
Women must submit to men/Men must submit to women.
Women are liars/Men are liars.
Men enjoy abusing women/Women enjoy abusing men.
You can also test what happens when you argue with misogynist/racist/otherwise oppressive people. For example, get into an argument with an incel and say “Men are trash,” since this increases the likelihood of your comment being flagged.
Try to post your comments in highly visible places. Do not indicate you are testing Facebook within the comment, but you may provide other context clues indicating you are being sarcastic.
Do not post mirrored comments in the same comment. For example, do not write, “Men are trash” and “Women are trash” in the same comment.
This experiment will last for a month, and close on April 3. But you do not have to participate for the entire study period! At any time between now and April 3, you may email me your results. But please send them in only ONE email (or if your data is too large for one email, in multiple sequential emails).
Here is what to include in your email:
Put “Facebook Experiment Results” in the subject line, and send it to zawn.villines@gmail.com.
Include screen shots of all comments you made for the experiment.
Include screen shots of any Facebook disciplinary action.
If you are disciplined by Facebook for ANY reason during the study period, please include that information, too!
Please include either your PayPal email or CashApp information.
Please share this post to increase visibility! The more people participate, the better!
Once I have all of the information, I will share my findings in an attempt to shame Facebook.
You can support this project and my work, as well as help me pay more readers to participate in this study, by subscribing to my Substack.
No longer on Facebook but I’m keen to hear how this goes….
Zawn if you do this again, I’m down. I’ve been flagged for hate speech several times for using “men” and “white men”