Social media teaching people how to hate, warns Meghan
THe Duchess of Sussex has hit out at trolling on social media, saying: ‘You can either train people to be cruel, or you can train people to be kind. It’s really that simple.’
Meghan was speaking in a virtual meeting with representatives from the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT), alongside her husband Prince Harry, about how online forums can be used as a ‘force for good’.
And she said it was up to young social media users to ensure they didn’t share negative content on social media, particularly at the moment. She said: ‘Certainly with Covid and our dependability on our devices right now, in the absence of human interaction people are going online more than ever before to feel community.
‘And unfortunately when that community becomes divisive, when that community isn’t a space for good, when it is a pack of people ganging up on one another... people can feel very lonely in that space.’ She added: ‘It’s not an echo chamber, it’s not about everyone being in agreement all the time, but about being able to have a healthy discourse, being able to disagree. That’s so key.’
The duchess’s words came as it emerged she and Harry had phoned a prolific social media user who helped raise around £45,000 online for charities they support, thanking her for her ‘enthusiastic support’. However, it emerged that the user had posted and encouraged vile abuse about other members of the Royal Family.
Although the messages can easily be found online, it is not clear whether Harry and Meghan were aware of a string of previous Twitter postings by the self-confessed ‘Meghan Stan [superfan]’ abusing other royals, particularly the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge, in crude and offensive terms.
Despite walking away from royal duties, Harry and Meghan have retained their roles as president and vice-President of the QCT respectively, the youth arm of the ‘family of nations’ of which the Queen is head. In their last public conversation with the group, the couple faced criticism after they said the history of the Commonwealth, which has its origins in the break-up of the British empire, ‘must be acknowledged’, even if it’s ‘uncomfortable’.
Meghan this week admitted she wasn’t acutely aware of the ethos of the Commonwealth before she married Harry, but is now proud to work with committed ‘changemakers’. Speaking about the youngsters who form the QCT, she said: ‘If they came with a question, they always offered a solution. They are so inspiring.’ She added, to Harry: ‘It’s a continuation of the legacy of your grandmother.’
Speaking from their new California home, Harry said: ‘I think everything my grandmother wanted to achieve when she took this huge responsibility on, she’s managed… you’re the definition of the 21st century Commonwealth, and what it means to be part of it. You are there, standing for equality, for mutual respect, and for fairness.’
The meeting was attended by young people from across the Commonwealth who have used social media for positive change.
Harry said of social media: ‘There’s a lot of negativity out there... But with social media and the way it can help so many people and so many groups focus on the things that bind us, not the things that divide us.’ He added that it took courage to ‘stand up to ‘hate, misinformation and lies’.
‘Mutual respect and fairness’