The Litmus Duo

Meta and YouTube found liable in landmark social media trial

The trial is the first in a series of first-of-its-kind cases against Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snap that are set to follow in the US.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said "the floodgates are open" for more legal cases against tech giants after Google and Meta were found liable for a woman's social media addiction in a landmark lawsuit...

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said "accountability has finally arrived" and declared: "The question is no longer whether social media must change - it's when, and how fast."

In a statement, Harry and Meghan hailed the "landmark" court verdict as a victory "for families, advocates, and young people everywhere - and a powerful message that justice has caught up to Big Tech".


Ah - that's the word we are looking for - justice. If Meghan and Harry tell us an issue is about justice then it isn't likely to be about justice, but about them. It always is - they are a kind of language litmus test and a pretty reliable one. 

This 'justice' is likely to reflect an underlying and powerful political desire to give compliant mainstream media a boost against digital media where sniggering about such people as Meghan and Harry can be part of the fun. 

Some people do seem to be addicted to their mobile phones though. 

Only an hour ago I saw a young woman park her car then wander across the road, head down, fiddling with her phone. She probably wasn't reading a sycophantic account of the latest efforts of Meghan and Harry to grab some attention though.

It's complex and there are language games in play, such as framing the use of digital media as an issue  of 'personal responsibility' or 'manipulation' or 'addiction' or whatever.  

Using the word 'justice' is part of another language game of course, but fortunately Meghan and Harry have signposted that one for us.