Princess Kate’s cancer saga exposes our addiction to sensationalism
The British royal family is again in the spotlight. King Charles, after undergoing a medical procedure for an enlarged prostate in January, is having treatment for an unspecified form of cancer. Last week, his daughter-inlaw, Princess Kate, the wife of Prince William, announced that she is receiving preventive chemotherapy, following major abdominal surgery early in the new year.
The royal family in the UK is used to setbacks and controversies but the media circus surrounding Kate over the past two weeks, and in particular the social media frenzy, reflects badly on all of us given the failure of so many to respect the rights and feelings of someone dealing with an illness, even if that someone is a public figure, at a time when they need their privacy most. As a journalist in London, my phone has been ringing regularly with inquiries from Arabic-language media across the Middle East about some of the most fantastical allegations, rumors, conspiracy theories, and disinformation campaigns containing the grimmest of details about what has befallen Princess Kate, King Charles and the royal family as a whole. The justification offered by such callers is that, well, this is surely an important story because it is trending on social media.
The rumors and speculation about the royals, and whatever pain they might cause to the subjects of the stories, are a clear example of the potent power of an unregulated digital realm.
Yes, Princess Kate’s decision to edit a family photo personally before sharing it did not help the situation, and her video message to reassure people about her health might have had the opposite effect. They further exposed the power of a weaponized social media, and the false illusion that it facilitates healthy public debate and the free flow of information. In reality, such tools for unregulated, freefor-all exchanges of information are proving to be harmful, especially in democratic societies. They expose to the risk of misinformation very serious conversations about important matters, including the rule of law, elections, healthcare, and the climate crisis. This permits disruptors, whether they be simple “useful idiots” or malicious state propaganda machines, to meddle, disrupt, and even manufacture dissent in ways that twist and warp reality, perception, and public opinion.
Simple human decency dictates that in times of serious illness or loss of life, even that of an enemy, we should show some respect. When I was growing up in the Middle East, cancer was often referred to as “that medical condition.” Thanks to medical advances, we have come a long way in making “that illness” treatable or even curable in some cases. But this is in no way carte blanche for anyone to ridicule a person dealing with any form of cancer, or for their absence from the public stage to become a tool for competing clickbait stories, attempts to gain followers, setting trends or making money by deluding curious people and trading in obscenities.
The revelation that Princess Kate has cancer should have prompted all of us to stop, take a breath, and think about all of those around us in similar situations, rather than swiftly fueling a backlash and endless social media speculation. This included publicly stated and shared theories that suggested this mother of three young children had died and her death was being kept secret, that she had divorced Prince William, and whatever other fantasies “citizen journalists” thought would be useful to proffer in the form of lurid insights, with social media providing the means to easily disseminate all of it. Yes, Princess Kate’s decision to digitally manipulate a photograph subsequently released by the palace to the media did not stand up to close scrutiny, and the British monarchy’s traditional culture of secrecy no doubt fueled the online speculation. In any case, suddenly everyone became a digital expert. Some people on X and TikTok suggested Princess Kate’s subsequent video message was an AI-enabled deepfake. Conspiracy theorists posted slowed-down versions of the footage to raise doubts, highlighting the stillness of the background image. Others went to great lengths to search for a missing dimple. Last but not least, the anti-vaccine campaigners jumped on the opportunity provided by the conspiracy bandwagon to claim, baselessly, that Princess Kate’s illness was linked to a type of the so-called “turbo cancer” linked to COVID-19 vaccines, a myth repeatedly debunked by scientists.
Before the dawn of the internet, the rise of social media and, soon, the influence of artificial intelligence, consuming the news was a precondition, at least in democratic societies, for remaining fully informed as voters equipped to exercise our civic duties. This was despite the feeling among some, even then, that the public were rarely the ones making decisions through their votes, with critics suggesting the important decisions of state were usually taken by insiders and experts.
Many surveys and studies across the Western world have found that the internet and social media have affected societies in both negative and positive ways. But perhaps the most dangerous constant they reveal is that tech connectivity has made it much easier to manipulate people through false information and rumors.
Many of those who now feel so empowered and believe they possess “a voice,” thanks to social media and other online platforms, simply click to share “facts” and information they often have barely had time to digest themselves, let alone fact-check or apply their own judgment based on propriety or critical thinking to test the merit of a post before forwarding it.
In the realm of politics, social media and tech tools have been deployed to lethal effect, sowing the seeds of disruption and dividing public opinion. The Kate saga is similarly a reflection of all the worst aspects of our unregulated, free-for-all tech realm.
Human decency dictates that in times of illness or loss of life, even that of an enemy, we should show some respect
The Kate saga is a reflection of all the worst aspects of our unregulated, free-for-all tech realm