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Kim Kardashian West is famous for being famous.

She also boasts an impressive social media following, and if the age of the influencer has taught us anything, it’s that followers mean power.

We’re all aware at this point that social media is a black hole of despair where happiness goes to die, but it’s so integrated into our lives that it’s tough to let go of.

Just ask anyone who has ever posted one of those “going on a social media cleanse, guys” statuses on Facebook, before returning a day later to clog up your feed.

Then there’s ‘fake news’.

Not the kind that Donald Trump talks about, but the kind that he routinely posts or retweets – inaccurate or inflammatory information designed to be divisive, stoke hatred, and cause social and/or political harm.

That’s what a number of celebrities, including Kim, are tackling in the #StopHateForProfit campaign, says The Guardian.

In a bold move for someone who relies on a massive media presence to maintain her image, Kim pledged to boycott Facebook and Instagram, because, as she points out: “inaccurate social media posts have “a serious impact on our elections and undermines our democracy”.

Here’s the post announcing her decision:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I love that I can connect directly with you through Instagram and Facebook, but I can’t sit by and stay silent while these platforms continue to allow the spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation – created by groups to sow division and split America apart – only to take steps after people are killed. Misinformation shared on social media has a serious impact on our elections and undermines our democracy. Please join me tomorrow when I will be “freezing” my Instagram and FB account to tell Facebook to #StopHateForProfit. Link in bio for more info on how to preserve truth.

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Sep 15, 2020 at 11:50am PDT

She joins the likes of Kerry Washington, Jennifer Lawrence, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and others, all of whom have pledged their support.

Additionally, the campaign has led to major brands like Ford boycotting Facebook’s advertising business, in some cases until the end of the year.

The idea is to “freeze” all social media accounts for 24 hours, and Kim’s effect on the campaign has been massive thus far, reports The Telegraph.

In the half-hour following the publication of the post above, Facebook’s market value took a serious knock.

While it later rebounded, the BBC reported earlier today that $7,2 billion had been knocked off Mark Zuckerberg’s personal net worth.

The #StopHateForProfit campaign was founded by US civil rights groups including the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured Peoples and the Jewish Anti-Defamation League.

The campaign has gained legs in anticipation of the upcoming US election.

We could all use a breather from social networks.

If you’re keen to take a break and need a bit of a push, watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix.

It made me throw my phone across the room, so it might just do the trick.

[source:guardian&telegraph&bbc]