We all know social media is a powerful force for good, enabling people all over the world to connect and share ideas on everything from global politics to chicken nuggets. Unfortunately, some of the ideas in between aren’t worth hearing. Some are ill-timed, some are misinformed and some are just plain hateful.

As an agency on the forefront of social and digital advertising, We Are Social has never dodged the issue of hate on social platforms, instead making a point to pursue equality for all and help clients take a stand against online hate.

After months of research and hard work from a wide range of teams spanning Strategy, R&I, Editorial, Design and Production, we now have a definitive anti-hate resource that everyone can use to make their social channels safer and more inclusive, in the form of this white paper – ‘Braving the Backlash’.

“We’re increasingly seeing more and more brands taking part in diversity campaigns – but in taking this stance, there is the risk of hateful comments seeping into brand communities online.”

The aim of the paper is to help brands on social to avoid the common tactic of simply ignoring hate and pretending it’s not happening – and instead face the problem head on, in the right way.

Online hate is a problem that’s never going to go away, which is why every brand needs a clear anti-hate policy. This paper outlines how you can create one that suits your brand and how you can empower your community managers to successfully respond to hate speech online, through the use of our ‘Three Rs Model’.

Charlie Cottrell, head of editorial at We Are Social in London said: “We’re increasingly seeing more and more brands taking part in diversity campaigns – be this around inclusion or minority issues – but in taking this stance, there is the risk of hateful comments seeping into brand communities online. ‘Braving the Backlash’ aims to help businesses overcome this troubling issue, and to help more organisations to stand up for what they believe in – with an effective plan of how to address any negativity online.”

Together we can take a stand, brave the backlash, and help make social a more accepting, inclusive and happy place for everyone. Click here to download the full report.