Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have spoken out time and time again about the hate that they have received from individuals online. Now, Bot Sentinel, a Twitter analytics service, has shed some light on the amount of hatred that the royal couple has received. According to Buzzfeed, the service found that there has been a coordinated campaign of targeted harassment towards Markle on Twitter. The service also noted that 83 accounts are to blame for fueling the negativity that Markle and Harry have received.
Bot Sentinel reportedly analyzed more than 114,000 tweets regarding Markle and Harry before coming to its conclusion. While there is plenty of negativity about the couple that can be found online, the service found that 83 accounts are responsible for around 70% of the negative content concerning the royal pair. They shared that these accounts have the primary (and, possibly, the sole) purpose of spreading negative messaging about Markle and Harry. These accounts have a combined total of 187,631 followers.
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A Twitter spokesperson released a statement to Buzzfeed about this report, telling the publication that they are “actively investigating the information and accounts referenced in this report – we will take action on accounts that violate the Twitter Rules.” Christopher Bouzy, Bot Sentinel’s CEO, also spoke to the outlet following the service’s findings. The CEO said that they have never seen this kind of targeted hate effort before like the one towards Markle and Harry. Bouzy said, “There’s no motive.” He added, “Are these people who hate her? Is it racism? Are they trying to hurt [Harry and Meghan’s] credibility? Your guess is as good as ours.”
Markle and Harry have long spoken out against the unorthodox amount of hatred that they have received online. Back in October 2020, the Suits alum said that she hadn’t been on social media in a long time “for [her] own self-preservation.” In January of this year, Harry spoke with Fast Company about this very issue. Not only did he address when and if he and Markle would return to social media, but he also called for widespread reform when it comes to several online platforms. The prince said specifically that he and his wife “will revisit social media when it feels right for us – perhaps when we see more meaningful commitments to change or reform.” He added that the two consulted many experts about the matter in 2020 in order 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.”
