The University of Barcelona stops publishing on X
PRESS RELEASE
News
|
Institutional
20/11/2024
We have witnessed the great impact of the decision taken by internationally prestigious media such as The Guardian and La Vanguardia to stop publishing on the social network X. These are leading media that have decided to be the first to take a step that will mark the history of communication, demonstrating that being leaders also means taking risks and positioning oneself.
News
|
Institutional
20/11/2024
We have witnessed the great impact of the decision taken by internationally prestigious media such as The Guardian and La Vanguardia to stop publishing on the social network X. These are leading media that have decided to be the first to take a step that will mark the history of communication, demonstrating that being leaders also means taking risks and positioning oneself.
The University of Barcelona is a leader in research and academic offer, and is also a leading public institution in terms of social positions that promote the defence of fundamental values and seek to transform society and make it better. For the UB, distancing itself from a space where hate speech and misinformation are promoted is an act of responsibility. It is also an act of responsibility to seek alternatives to behaviour that discriminates against minorities, polarizes debates, intoxicates, feeds anti-democratic discourse and seeks to radicalize public opinion. For all these reasons, the Governing Board of the University of Barcelona has decided to stop publishing on X.
As of today, all official UB profiles on the social network X will be inactive. All publications and any type of interaction will therefore cease.
This is certainly a complex decision. In fact, it results from a debate that is also complex and which does not seem, for now, to have any unequivocal answer or a definitive consensus. However, the University of Barcelona cannot hesitate when it comes to rights and freedoms, respect, dialogue and social and scientific responsibility. It is because of the values that define us as a university that we have a social responsibility to participate in the public debates that shake the society to which we are indebted. In this sense, the role of the social network X in the public space is one of them.
Personal profiles linked to the University of Barcelona are excluded from this indication. However, if there is evidence of affiliation to the UB, they are still subject to the rules of use of social networks and the University’s Code of Ethics, Integrity and Best Practices.
As of today, all official UB profiles on the social network X will be inactive. All publications and any type of interaction will therefore cease.
This is certainly a complex decision. In fact, it results from a debate that is also complex and which does not seem, for now, to have any unequivocal answer or a definitive consensus. However, the University of Barcelona cannot hesitate when it comes to rights and freedoms, respect, dialogue and social and scientific responsibility. It is because of the values that define us as a university that we have a social responsibility to participate in the public debates that shake the society to which we are indebted. In this sense, the role of the social network X in the public space is one of them.
Personal profiles linked to the University of Barcelona are excluded from this indication. However, if there is evidence of affiliation to the UB, they are still subject to the rules of use of social networks and the University’s Code of Ethics, Integrity and Best Practices.
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