By Ashley Young-
Hello Magazine has launched an encouraging campaign aimed at addressing online abuse directed at the Dutchess of Cambridge and Sussex.
It follows a revelation by Kensington Palace that their staff are spending hours each week moderating sexist and racist comments directed at the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex. The magazine revealed that a number of online comments directed violent threats towards the two women. Other abuse were targeted at ‘rival’ fans. A rise in abusive comments aimed at Kate, Meghan and their fans were also left on our the magazine’s social channels, prompting HELLO! to launch the #HelloToKindness campaign, championing positivity online, the magazine said.
With the abuse growing out of control, it has led to the magazine seeking to launch the campaign to inspire positive online attitudes. The act of abusive language against the Royals is disgraceful and intolerable. Members of the public who target the Royals online are low scum deserving of rebuke. Individuals who target the Royals must be collectively addressed and condemned for their attitudes.
Whilst the palace regularly monitor online abuse directed against any of the royals, they are currently powerless to delete abuse on twitter since those cannot be deleted. However, twitter can delete the accounts from where the abuse is coming. Place officials spend a lot of time monitoring comments on social media, and it is becoming more and more frustrating for staff to have to deal with unnecessary abuse occurring on a regular basis. Sources told the magazine that some of the worst abuses on twitter have been between Kate fans and Meghan fans. “Arguments about who looks more appropriate, for example, that turn into personal attacks on other users. It’s creating a supercharged atmosphere and everyone can join in, but what are the consequences of this?
The source told the magazine that one user had told another user in a separate poster to “drink bleach” because of her different opinion. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Birkenhead, another 477 comments had to be deleted from their social media platforms.
”As a responsible title, we have decided that enough is enough. It’s not acceptable to constantly pit women against each other, Hello Magazine says. It’s not acceptable to post racist, sexist or threatening abuse on our platforms. And it’s not acceptable to attack other users just because they disagree with you. HELLO! is now urging readers to spread the #HelloToKindness message across social media and take a stand against online abuse”.
The magazine’s stance is commendable, and all decent citizens should join them in taking a stand against online abuse. Take a stand by condemning it on your own social media platforms on facebook or instagram. Take a stand by showing sympathy, and expressing your empathy. Online abuse is a horrible experience which nobody deserves.