Prince Harry is confident that the misinformation that spread through social media was a key component in planning the January 6 U.S. chapter riot.
The Duke of Sussex argues in a new Questions and Answers from Fast Company that “dominant online platforms have contributed to and caused the conditions for a hate crisis, a health crisis and a crisis of truth.”
“We are losing loved ones by conspiracy theories,” he continued, “losing our sense of self because of the avalanche of falsehoods and, on a larger scale, losing our democracies.”
When asked about the “well-documented online harassment” he and his wife Meghan Markle experienced while in the UK, Harry said the fake reports distributed through social media contributed greatly. .
“I was really surprised to see how my story had been told in a way, my wife’s story had been told in a way, and then our union sparked something that made the story of this story was very different, ”he said.
“That false narrative became the mother ship of all the harassment you’re referring to. It wouldn’t have even begun if our story had been told truthfully.”
Harry also targeted technology giants like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook that banned former President Trump, and while he didn’t directly mention Trump, he feels companies have every right to regulate those they feel are being misused. of the platform.
“We have seen time and time again what happens when the real cost of misinformation in the real world is ignored,” he continued. “It simply came to our notice then. There was a literal attack on democracy in the United States, organized on social media, which is a topic of violent extremism.
It was reported last week that Harry and Meghan will likely leave social media completely due to the “hate” they have received.