Racist 'Mute White People' button appears on Instagram

A 'Mute White People' button appearing on Instagram (screenshot)

A "Mute White People" appeared this week on Instagram, and although it apparently died a deserving death only hours later, it has created controversy.

"I'm going to need an explanation for this new racist Instagram sticker," wrote Instagram user Ashley StClair.

I’m going to need an explanation for this new racist Instagram sticker.... pic.twitter.com/NdLMZtHYUZ

— Ashley StClair 🇺🇸 (@stclairashley) July 13, 2020

For those asking if it’s real: pic.twitter.com/2Hl2YvDEqh

— Ashley StClair 🇺🇸 (@stclairashley) July 13, 2020

The button was noted Monday in a tweet by conservative commentator Katie Pavlich.

Is there an anti-white-people bias on social media?

Instagram has a “mute white people” button in stories 🤔 pic.twitter.com/GBDwqxqRAb

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) July 13, 2020

The Washington Examiner confirmed the button was on Instagram, reporting it was uploaded to online database GIPHY by an organization called Refinery29, a media outlet aimed at a female audience.

GIPHY moderates which GIF images are allowed to be shared in its library, which is where platforms such as Instagram draw the images.

GIPHY explained: "To ensure that GIPHY stickers will always be fun and safe no matter where you see them, we have an enhanced moderation process for approving stickers into our library. This is a permanent part of our moderation process and may impact the turnaround time for uploaded content to appear within the Sticker API (which powers partners such as Instagram)."

Hitc.com reported hours later that the sticker had been deleted from Instagram.

"It's clear that Refinery29 most likely didn't mean to cause so much uproar with the sticker, the intention probably being that we should 'mute white people' in order to amplify black voices," Hitc.com said. "However, the sticker certainly came across the wrong way, and rather than supporting the Black Lives Matter movement it actually caused even more issues surrounding race."

The Examiner reported Refinery29 previously had uploaded more than 500 images to GIPHY. Others were "Pay Black Woman" and "Reparation$$$."

It's not the first controversy involving such images.

In March, the Examiner reported, the Heritage Foundation’s social-media manager, Lyndsey Fifield, claimed the Daily Signal’s verified status on GIPHY "mysteriously disappeared" after posting pro-life and pro-capitalism GIFs.

Fifield said at the time: "Just hours after tweeting this, our verified status on @GIPHY mysteriously disappeared—stripping our gifs and stickers from the gif banks on Twitter and Instagram. The only pro-life & pro-capitalism gifs on IG. I'm hopeful this was a mistake and that their team will resolve it."

Heritage's verified status was reinstated a short time later.