The beauty queen hopes to have more *safe spaces* online.

In case you haven’t heard: Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has recently introduced Threads, a social media platform which allows users to “follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things.”

The launch of Threads has attracted the attention of not only the general public but also prominent Filipino celebrities. Among them is Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, who hopes that this new platform could be a “safer” online environment for everyone.

“Finally, a place where we can write down our thoughts and not get death threats for having an opinion,” she wrote in her first post. “Hopefully Meta can keep this app troll-free!”

The beauty queen then shared her experience receiving hate mail when she voiced out her opinion on the Anti-Terror Bill.

“I remember not even shading the government or the president, I just tweeted a hashtag and got so much hate,” she said. “I had to uninstall the app for a week to avoid checking the mentions.”

She also opened up about being *stalked* by strangers on Twitter, even reaching a point when the troll would message the brands she worked with. Yikes!

“I also remember being stalked and ridiculed by a certain account for YEARS. And regularly too. This person was reading into every single post, comment, video I was doing on every platform, including all my family and close friends,” said Pia.

“They would also message the endorsements and brands I work with to destroy me with made up narratives. It was wild. […] It was clearly slander and abusive behavior. I had to sit there and take it for years.”

Given these experiences, it is crucial that Threads is not exploited as a platform for hate or negative behavior. Let’s hope that this new venture by Meta will encourage a more positive and inclusive online community!

Have you joined Threads yet?