MacEwan University was honoured to host a symposium on October 28, 2024 with Canada’s Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon to discuss online harassment and how it can be addressed.
“When I first got installed as Governor General, there was a lot of abusive language being used online,” said Her Excellency. “Some of it started to be directed to me as a woman, and an Indigenous woman. We decided to do something and the only way to make a statement, to me, was to go public about it.”
Her Excellency said this issue affects so many Canadians who are being attacked on a daily basis. “I felt it was necessary for Canada to be talking about such an important issue,” she said. During the symposium a panel of experts shared their thoughts on how to manage and deal with online harassment.
Panelist Katrina Ingram, founder and CEO of Ethically Aligned AI, pointed out that online platforms are businesses which gather data to sell, and that emotionally charged people stay online longer which provides more data to collect. “Raging is engaging,” she said. “Being in a bubble… where everyone’s echoing what they’re saying you feel really entitled to say these things,” she said.
Panelist Dr. Jared Wesley, associate dean at the University of Alberta, said that we need to start recognizing that not everybody who disagrees with you on a point is an extremist, and that we can try to connect rather than seeing people as an enemy. “The most troubling part for me is when I see online somebody tries to step in and tries to build a bridge, and then people from both sides step in and say you can’t do that, why are you talking to that person?” Dr. Wesley said, adding it’s important we give space to people who are reaching out.
When looking at ways to deal with online negativity, panel members felt that a more personal and connected approach is needed online and offline.
When faced with racism and harassment, panelist Terri Cardinal, associate vice president, Indigenous Initiatives at MacEwan University said she went to her elders and her community for guidance. “How do I walk in this world with integrity, with ethics, with respect, despite being disrespected,” she said. Their support and advice to not give up prompted Cardinal to ignore the attacks and create a podcast. “That podcast was about creating and bringing forward Indigenous voices and really talking about how beautiful we are, and our resiliency, to contrast the negativity.
Her Excellency sees hope, despite the many challenges at the moment and said it’s important to be thoughtful about what we want to be. “Who are we like? Are we empathetic, are we welcoming people? I think that inspiration comes from you,” she said, ending with one last comment, “we must be kind to each other.”