“There is something algorithmically that is creating this obsession”
(Meghan Markle)
The Duchess of Sussex (39) has spoken yesterday about the dangers of social media and particularly about the addictive effect it has on young people. In a candid online interview by Forbes she has spoken about her own experiences with social media. Before Meghan got married to Prince Harry (36) in 2018, she was an avid social media user too. Her blog “The Tig” had about 1.9 million subscribers and Meghan had a Facebook and Twitter account as well. Her blog provided lifestyle, health and travel tips and can best be compared to Gwyneth Paltrow’s mega blog “Goop” that currently boasts about 8 million subscribers (February 2020) – and still counting!
Online addiction is like drug addiction
Meghan compared online addiction to social media with the addictive forces behind using drugs. In this admittedly bold comparison she referred to the word “user” which can be applied to both contexts. A drug user, therefore, is similarly addicted and obsessed like a social media user. In her 15-minute interview the duchess tried to explain that there is an algorithm behind social media that constantly makes you check your accounts. She described this as an “obsession” that has become part of our daily cultural lives.
Most trolled person in the world 2019
What probably surprised many viewers was that the duchess doesn’t have any personal social media accounts today. She described this step necessary for her own “self-preservation” hinting at the negative experiences she had had with online bullying. Few days ago, Meghan told high school students in a podcast interview for Mental Health Day that she was told that she was the most trolled person in 2019. This revelation had made headlines and sparked discussions about the negative impact of social media. In the podcast the duchess described this experience as barely “survivable”
Tips
What can be done to brace oneself from all this online negativity? According to the duchess, users of social media should be more conscious about what they are doing. There is a danger of being trapped in an echo chamber when using social media the duchess goes on. Likeminded people come together online and focus on few selected aspects – be they positive or negative. It is so easy to only revolve around one topic spurred on by fellow users that some of those users don’t actually know that they are slowly detaching from reality. She also urged young people to be more responsible especially when it comes to negativity online. It does incredible harm to others who are being verbally attacked and abused online – like it has happened to the duchess herself. But she also highlighted the fact that this form of negativity has also a damaging effect on the abusers themselves. Spinning and engaging negativity will eventually come back and haunt the online trolls themselves.
