Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo last week sent a company memo regarding the harassment which users have faced virtually forever. He said Twitter hasn’t dealt with abuse well and they haven’t done it for years.

While many appreciate Costolo’s words and see them as an uncommon step toward a more enjoyable Twitter, his proactive acknowledgment of the problem doesn’t fix the years of damage already done to its users.

Members of The Spectator Editorial Board agreed Twitter needs to improve its harassment procedures and policy, not only for its casual users but for its professional users as well.

One speaker said they didn’t understand how so many people use Twitter for their jobs but Twitter still doesn’t have a safety net for dealing with aggressive or unruly tweets.

“Twitter support doesn’t back anyone up or do their job,” the speaker said. “I’m not confident it’ll ever be fixed.”

A different member asked what happens when a tweet is reported. Then asked what would happen if every user which was flagged were removed from Twitter.

One member addressed the problems public figures have to face when using Twitter or any social media. The member mentioned a scenario including a notable collegiate basketball player and the harassment they faced after receiving sexual assault threats to their family on twitter.

The same speaker said they believe public figures must face the world and can’t have complete privacy however the Twitter blocking system must become stronger.

One member said they believed this problem exists across all social media platforms. They said people take their own lives because of social media harassment and they’re glad costolo said things need to be fixed.

A different speaker said people should be accountable for their actions in the virtual world just like the real world.

The staff editorial reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board and is written by the Op/Ed Editor. Columns, cartoons and letters are the opinion of the author/artist and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Spectator as a whole.