If ever there was a sign that social networking is as much a part of our lives as going to sleep every night then the Queen setting up a fan page is certainly it. As Facebook gets ever nearer to the 600 million user mark, it seems only right that the Monarchy finds a way to connect with people.
But don’t expect any drunken updates at ridiculous hours, or the Duke hi-jacking her page when she’s not looking, as this seems likely to be a heavily moderated channel of communication. Only yesterday dozens of anti-monarchist comments were removed from the page after saboteurs clicked the ‘like’ button, just to vent their feelings towards the Royal Family. Whether you agree with their comments or not, surely this is another example of censorship, essentially restricting people’s freedom of speech? The whole point of social media, is to build a community where people can express their views and opinions in an open forum. If moderators are going to remove anything negative and leave only the positive stuff, surely we are not getting an accurate picture of what others actually think? Having said that, it is totally fair to remove abusive posts where offensive language is being used, but possibly there is a way of engaging people and changing their perceptions?
Underscore for one, is excited about the prospect of playing Farmville with HRH on Facebook and if she is looking for someone to manage her social media presence, she knows where to come…..we’ll be good, promise!