AirAsia group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes recently announced on Twitter over the weekend that he deleted his Facebook account (which had over 670,000 followers), citing the “hate” that was being transmitted on social media as one of the main reasons.
Closed down my Facebook account with 670 k followers. Just thinking about Twitter now. Weather to close or carry on. The amount of hate that goes on in social media sometimes outweighs the good. But on Twitter I think the battle for me goes on.
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) March 17, 2019
Elaborating on this, Tony Fernandes stated in another tweet referring to the deadly terrorist attack on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand that was livestreamed on the social media platform.
The airline CEO expressed that while he acknowledged Facebook was a great communication platform, he felt that the horrific 17-minute video was too much for him to take.
Facebook could have done more to stop some of this. I myself have been a victim of so many fake bitcoin and other stories. 17 mins of a live stream of killing and hate!!!! Its need to clean up and not just think of financials.
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) March 17, 2019
It is a great platform to communicate. Strong engagement and very useful but New Zealand was to much for me to take along with all the other issues.
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) March 17, 2019
Earlier last Friday (15th March), the world was shocked when news of two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand experienced a deadly shooting, killing 49 people.
A graphic video of the shooting was livestreamed on Facebook by one of the shooters but was quickly taken down by the social media platform soon after, according to CNN. The website also stated on Twitter that it would be removing “any praise or support for the crime and the shooter(s)” as soon as they are able.
Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the livestream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video. We're also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware.
— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) March 15, 2019
The country’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, also deemed the shooting a terrorist attack, referring to it as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”.
In light of the disturbing footage of the shooting, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has also warned against sharing the video as doing so is considered a legal offence.
Source: MCMC (Official) | Twitter
If you happen to come across this graphic video on social media, do not watch it out of respect of the victims and their families and be sure to report it as well.
Our thoughts go out to those affected by this horrific act of terror and hope that they can find the strength to cope during this ordeal.
Also read: “This Is One Of New Zealand’s Darkest Days,” NZ PM Condemns Shooting as Terrorist Attack
