Harry's war Silicon Valley: Prince blames social media for the Capitol riot and the 'destruction of the Amazon' and says we're all part of a Big Tech 'human experiment' - while complaining about suffering 'mothership of harassment
- Prince Harry gave an interview to Fast Company that was published on Friday
- He abhors social media in it and blames it for division and confusion in the world
- He also says he and Meghan will return to it 'when it's right for us' but that it's inaccurate to say they have 'quit'
- Harry had some advice for big tech - be 'accountable' and not just motivated 'by financial incentive'
- He said 'It’s hard for me to understand how the platforms themselves can eagerly take profit but shun responsibility'
- He also told social media users to 'spend less time scrolling' and be more 'compassionate' when they do share their views
- He said that he and Meghan wanted to be part of 'the human experience' and not 'a human experiment'
- Harry said he'd been thinking a lot about the Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park which he used to go past 'all the time'
- He said 'we should avoid buying into the idea that social media is the ultimate modern-day public square'
- His comments were mostly applauded but some said it was ironic he was lecturing tech about shunning responsibility for moneyPrince Harry today declared war on Silicon Valley by telling tech titans they should be motivated by 'well-being' and not just 'financial incentive' in a lengthy interview about social media where he blamed it for the US Capitol riot and the destruction of the rainforest - but says he and Meghan will rejoin it when it's 'right for us'.
Harry was interviewed by Fast Company, a monthly business magazine, for an article published on Friday which is in Q&A format. It's unclear when or how it took place but he gives long, intense answers where he talks about the 'guiding principle' of his life (the duty to truth and alleviation of suffering) and 'the current consequences of the digital space'.
He claims he and Meghan received the 'mothership of all harassment' through social media when they got married, and he also shared his views on how to reform it after spending much of 2020 'consulting the experts about it.'
He did not name the experts. In February, the couple visited Stanford - which has strong ties to Silicon Valley - for a meeting with senior staff. Archewell, their charity, has also worked with the Center for Humane Technology and the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry.
Harry and Meghan are not on social media but are making millions through podcasts on Spotify and shows on Netflix, along with investments, after controversially quitting royal life, which would never have allowed them to launch such money-spinning projects.
His comments were mostly applauded but some said it was ironic he was lecturing tech about shunning responsibility for money.
In a new interview, Prince Harry complains that he and Meghan were subjected to 'the mothership of harassment' when they got married and that social media spreads hate. They are shown in a recent Zoom appearance from their California mansion
'There has to be accountability to collective well being, not just financial incentive.
'It’s hard for me to understand how the platforms themselves can eagerly take profit but shun responsibility,' he said.
He labeled big tech the 'incredibly powerful and consolidated gatekeepers' and says social media has become the root of violence and confusion because it plays host to so much disinformation.
Harry, in his interview, said he and 'his wife' had 'no social media to quit' and that it was fabricated by 'a Rupert Murdoch newspaper' but that they'll return to it 'when it's right for us'.
Sources close to the pair said that they'd given it up as a tool for promoting their projects.
Royal and branding experts have speculated the decision may be financially motivated because they become less accessible without it, and therefore more expensive.
'We will revisit social media when it feels right for us—perhaps when we see more meaningful commitments to change or reform—but right now we’ve thrown much of our energy into learning about this space and how we can help,' Harry said.
He claims the pair experienced the nasty side of social media when they got married.
'I was really surprised to witness how my story had been told one way, my wife’s story had been told one way, and then our union sparked something that made the telling of that story very different.
'That false narrative became the mothership for all of the harassment you’re referring to.
'It wouldn’t have even begun had our story just been told truthfully.'
Later, he attributed world events like the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest to social media sites too.
'There was a literal attack on democracy in the United States, organised on social media, which is an issue of violent extremism.
'It is widely acknowledged that social media played a role in the genocide in Myanmar and was used as a vehicle to incite violence against the Rohingya people, which is a human rights issue.
'And in Brazil, social media provided a conduit for misinformation which ultimately brought destruction to the Amazon, which is an environmental and global health issue.'
Harry said the Capitol riot on January 6 that was organized on social media. Some of the participants had been discussing their plans on social media
Harry says that in Brazil, social media 'provided a conduit for misinformation which ultimately brought destruction to the Amazon, which is an environmental and global health issue'
FACEBOOK'S ROLE IN MYANMAR GENOCIDE OF ROHINYA MUSLIMS
In 2018, Facebook admitted it had been used to incite violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar at the hands of extremists.
650,000 Rohingya Muslims fled the country for Bangladesh for fear of being killed by the Myanmar army. It claimed it was only targeting militants - not civilians.
Facebook commissioned a report from a human rights group which determined the social media site had been used to advance the violence.
In Myanmar, Facebook - the report claimed - is the internet. Many of the country's citizens were unable to navigate the basics of it, let alone decipher real information from fake information, according to the report.
Facebook accepted its role in the violence but it now faces a genocide investigation.
A Rohingya man reacts after a fire burned houses of the Nayapara refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, January 14, 2021.
The only social media account now linked to the pair is that of Archewell, their charity. Nothing has been posted on it in over a month. Harry says he and Meghan will return 'when it's right for us'
'My life has always been about trying to do my part to help those who need it most, and right now, we need this change—because it touches nearly every single thing we do or are exposed to.'
He did not name any of the social media sites he has issues with, but calls on people to spend less time online.
'Consider setting limits on the time you spend on social media, stop yourself from endlessly scrolling, fact-check the source and research the information you see, and commit to taking a more compassionate approach and tone when you post or comment.
'These might seem like little things, but they add up.
'There’s a responsibility to compassion that we each own. Humans crave connection, social bonds, and a sense of belonging.
'When we don’t have those, we end up fractured, and in the digital age that can unfortunately be a catalyst for finding connection in mass extremism movements or radicalisation.
'We need to take better care of each other, especially in these times of isolation and vulnerability.'
Asked 'where do we go from here', he said: 'I ask the same thing every day and lean on the experts to help give guidance on how to reform the state of our digital world—how we make it better for our kids, of course, but also for ourselves—now.
'The avalanche of misinformation we are all inundated with is bending reality and has created this distorted filter that affects our ability to think clearly or even understand the world around us.'
He said that the pair wanted to be part of the solution though.
'This is why my wife and I spent much of 2020 consulting the experts and learning directly from academics, advocates, and policymakers.
'We’ve also been listening with empathy to people who have stories to share—including people who have been deeply affected by misinformation and those who grew up as digital natives.
'What we hope to do is continue to be a spotlight for their perspectives, and focus on harnessing their experience and energy to accelerate the pace of change in the digital world.
'I believe we can begin to make our digital world healthier, more compassionate, more inclusive, and trustworthy.
'And it’s time to move from rethinking to remodelling,' he said.
Harry and Meghan spent more than $14million on this Montecito home where they live with their son Archie
Harry's comments were mostly applauded online but some said it was ironic he was lecturing tech about 'shunning responsibility' for money
Elsewhere, he said: 'Don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting that a reform of the digital space will create a world that’s all rainbows and sunshine, because that’s not realistic, and that, too, isn’t life.
'There can be disagreement, conversation, opposing points of view—as there should be, but never to the extent that violence is created, truth is mystified, and lives are jeopardised.'
Harry said that he and Meghan have not had social media 'for ten months' since they officially left the royal family and the Sussex Royal Instagram account that came with it.
Their charity, Archewell, has an Instagram account, but nothing has been posted on it since mid December. The pair now live in California with their son, Archie.
They have been holed up in Montecito, in a $14million mansion, where they have taken part in Zoom meetings and events.
Royal experts speculated that the pair have avoided social media to 'safeguard their content' after monetizing it so effectively with Netflix and Spotify.
They have also given at least one paid speech for a bank.
When they were royals, the pair complained about press intrusion.
They quit in January 2020, saying they wanted a more private life which would let them pursue their passions.
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