Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have found a new terrain to express their activism — hate on social media.
The former senior members of the British Royal Family are not just talking about the problem; they have also reached out to business leaders in order to change things.
Harry argues that hate has become a business model, and people benefiting from this environment should be outed in a spectacular fashion.
The father of one wrote a piece in Fast Company, where he stated: “Social media is dividing us. Together, we can redesign it. The digital landscape is unwell, and companies like yours have the chance to reconsider your role in funding and supporting online platforms that have contributed to, stoked, and created the conditions for a crisis of hate, a crisis of health, and a crisis of truth.”
Harry also addressed the issue of privacy and how these companies are using the data at their disposal. He continued: “Every time you click, they learn more about you. Our information, private data, and unknown habits are traded on for advertising space and dollars. The price we’re all paying is much higher than it appears. Whereas normally we’re the consumer buying a product, in this ever-changing digital world, we are the product.”
Prince William‘s younger brother then tackle extremism and disinformation through the lense of social media.
Prince Harry explained: “Social media’s own algorithms and recommendation tools can drive people down paths towards radicalism and extremism that they might not have taken otherwise. One could argue that access to accurate information is more important now than any other time in modern history. And yet, the very places that allow disinformation to spread seem to throw their arms up when asked to take responsibility and find solutions.”
The activist said that a global movement is needed to address all of these different issues. He added: “The internet has enabled us to be joined together. We are now plugged into a vast nervous system that, yes, reflects our good, but too often also magnifies and fuels our bad.”
Meghan and Harry are probably well-intentioned, but they will have to work harder to convince the general public. Some commenters have called them hypocrites for saying one thing and doing something else.
Moreover, after attacking some publications, critics say the powerful pair is trying to block free speech. Those voices say the goal of all this is to silence negative comments about themselves.
