Beginning on November 26, the popular all-natural cosmetics brand Lush is pulling most of its major social media accounts apart from Twitter and YouTube (“for now,” it cautions) to protest companies like Facebook’s corrosive effects on socio-political and mental health.
“In the same way that evidence against climate change was ignored and belittled for decades, concerns about the serious effects of social media are barely being acknowledged,” the company wrote in an official press release, adding that it “has decided to address these serious issues now and to start by changing its own practices rather than waiting until others notice that there is actually a real problem.”
Lush U.K. previously deactivated its Facebook and Instagram back in 2019 citing similar reasons, but soon returned to the social media platforms after feeling the economic pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic. Acknowledging this, Lush admits “FOMO is vast, and the brand's compulsion to use the various platforms means it [found] itself back on the channels, despite the best intentions.” Citing the latest whistleblower revelations, Lush vows that its resolve has been “strengthened,” and intends to make this break a permanent one.
Looks good on them —
Lush’s latest brand move is honestly a refreshing thing to see right now. Although social media accounts are undeniably crucial to many businesses’ success or failure, companies that are well-established and profitable aren’t as beholden to Facebook’s toxic ad ecosystem, and can choose to lead by example.
Hopefully, more major brands will do their best to transition away from supporting social media, and thus put even more heat on these platforms to finally enact meaningful reform.
