In an essay published on Fast Company on Thursday, Prince Harry urged businesses to do more to fight against "hate and racism" than simply posting against it on social media when something bad happens, citing the dangers of social media and the obligation it has to responsibly spread information.
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Harry reports that for weeks he and his wife Meghan Markle have been calling business leaders and the heads of major corporations urging them to use their ad dollars to incite true change on social media rather than simply settling for platitudes posted to their company feeds.
"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," says Harry, going on to explain the massive impact financial action can have on how social media sites choose to operate.
Change the algorithms.
Harry is no stranger to speaking up for mental health and speaking out against injustice. Over the past several years he's become more vocal about such issues, and now he is calling for social media sites to make sweeping changes to their algorithms to stem the flow of misinformation and guide users away from the extremist and radical views that are prevalent online. He says if they don't, advertisers need to take action.
Stop Hate for Profit campaign.
Harry goes on to explain that he and Meghan reached out to all of these businesses while also participating in the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, which involved major companies including the likes of Levi's, Patagonia, Adidas, Best Buy, Boeing, Dunkin, Sesame Street, and dozens of others withholding advertising spending on Facebook and Instagram for the entire month of July to promote change around how hate speech is handled online.
The unseen cost of social media.
Harry believes there is a massive unseen cost to the world's social media consumption. "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," he wrote.
Leading with compassion.
"We've always believed that individuals and communities thrive when the frameworks around them are built from compassion, trust, and well-being. Sadly, this belief is at odds with much of what is being experienced by people on social media," wrote Harry.
Standing up against unacceptable practices.
Harry asserts that industry leaders must take an active role in establishing new standards. "We believe we have to remodel the architecture of our online community in a way 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," he wrote.
Doing it for the kids.
To drive home his point, Harry notes that the things we accept now and the actions we do or don't take will affect our children down the line. "Because, if we are susceptible to the coercive forces in digital spaces, then we have to ask ourselves—what does this mean for our children? As a father, this is especially concerning to me," he wrote. Harry then compared the situation to actions that were taken after studies on the affects of lead exposure in children in the 1970s proved its harmfulness. "We knew something was harmful to the health of our children, so we made the necessary changes to keep them safe, healthy, and well," noted Harry.
Harry's using his influence for good.
No matter how you feel about Harry and Meghan, it's undeniable that they are doing what they can to use their massive influence for good. Over the years, social media has been linked to increased rates of plastic surgery, lower self-esteem, mental health issues, dissemination of hateful rhetoric and ideals, and much more. While we can all use our voices in small ways, money undoubtedly talks. Harry's got it right. When major corporations start to back the good of society over the almighty dollar, change will happen. "When we do the right thing, when we create safe spaces both online and off—everyone wins. Even the platforms themselves," says Harry, and we couldn't agree more.
