Prince Harry pens op-ed blasting social media saying it’s stoking a ‘crisis of hate’ as he appeals to companies to rethink advertising on digital platforms
Prince Harry on Thursday said social media was stoking a ‘crisis of hate,’ and urged companies to rethink their roles in advertising on digital platforms.
In an opinion piece for U.S. business magazine Fast Company headlined ‘Social media is dividing us. Together, we can redesign it,’ Harry said that social media, as it stands is ‘unwell’.
The former senior royal said he and his wife, Meghan, have spent the past few weeks working with business leaders and marketing executives on the issue to try and enact positive change.
‘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,’ wrote Harry.
Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth, called for online communities to be ‘defined more by compassion than hate; by truth instead of misinformation; by equity and inclusiveness instead of injustice and fearmongering; by free, rather than weaponised, speech.’
Prince Harry on Thursday said social media was stoking a ‘crisis of hate,’ and he appealed to companies to rethink their roles in advertising on digital platforms
The royal said he and Meghan started their social media reform campaign at the same time as the launch of the Stop Hate for Profit movement in June.
That campaign was launched by a coalition of non-profits who urged companies to cease advertising on Facebook until the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company more effectively tackled hate speech on its platform.
Enlisting the support of more than 1,000 companies, the Stop Hate For Profit campaign ‘sent a $7 billion message through withheld ad dollars,’ Prince Harry wrote.
Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth, called for online communities to be ‘defined more by compassion than hate; by truth instead of misinformation; by equity and inclusiveness instead of injustice and fearmongering; by free, rather than weaponised, speech.’
‘Some may ask why a change campaign would take aim at online advertising. Well, many of us love and enjoy social media. It’s a seemingly free resource for connecting, sharing, and organising. But it’s not actually free; the cost is high,’ 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.’
Harry and Meghan, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, now live in Los Angeles after stepping down from their royal roles in March to forge new careers. They moved out of the UK after growing media hostility.
In a speech last month, Meghan urged teen girls and young women to drown out sometimes ‘painfully loud’ negative online chatter with positivity.
In his opinion piece, Harry urged companies to use their advertising dollars ‘to demand change from the very places that give a safe haven and vehicle of propagation to hate and division.’