Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has been the topic of intense online debate and conspiracy surrounding her “disappearance” from the public eye following reports of her being admitted for a “planned abdominal surgery” in January. 

The internet was red hot with intense speculation surrounding her whereabouts for weeks on end until this past week when Middleton made a public statement revealing her cancer diagnosis and asking for privacy moving forward. 

This situation seemed eerily similar to the internet’s reaction to Chadwick Boseman’s physical appearance in a video posted to the actor’s Instagram in 2020. People were similarly obsessed with conspiracies of his alleged drug use and some online even mocked the actor’s appearance. 

When Boseman died in August of 2020, it was revealed he died of colon cancer and his weight loss was due to his chemotherapy treatments. 

The online reaction was similar to Middleton’s as many backtracked their tasteless jokes and conspiracies and replaced them with well wishes and condolences. 

This common trend of the internet running wild with rumors and speculations surrounding public figures is nothing new, but does reveal an alarming trend: the internet has made us cruel. 

We are far too quick to jump on the bandwagon of speculation and conspiracy when things “don’t add up.” We treat celebrities and public figures as sources of entertainment so frequently that we are unable to consider the possibility of them going through real situations that do not need to be publicized. 

The desire to be someone who uncovers the supposed mystery of a situation has become more important than simply hoping for the best and minding your own business. 

We know the internet is invasive, but it has reached new levels where now people online feel entitled to public figures’ personal business simply because they are in the public eye. 

People are entitled to their privacy and we should not expect to know everything there is to know about someone just because they are famous.

If more people were reminded of this fact, the internet would be a much better place. 

Categories: Arts & Entertainment