Cyberbullying on Social Media
Hi everyone 👋🏻
I don't know about you, but my TikTok fyp has been full of the recent situation between Doja Cat and Noah Schnapp this weekend! It seems like every other week there's some kind of internet drama between celebrities. Social media makes it so easy for us to connect with people, and can end up in boundaries being ignored, blurred or forgotten. It also makes it super easy to react, live, in front of lots of people, before taking time to step back and figure out the best way to deal with situations. Regardless, it's not ok to bully anyone, especially when the age dynamic isn't balanced.
So what exactly is cyberbullying? It happens to 1 in 5 young Australians and is all forms of bullying that takes place online. Whether it's a troll leaving nasty comments on your Instagram post, someone making a TikTok that makes fun of you, a bully creating a fake Facebook profile and pretending it's you, or a stranger sending you snaps on Snapchat that make you uncomfortable - it is really distressing to experience. It can be particularly hard to deal with because potentially lots of people can view it, others tend to jump on the bandwagon and join in, and it's difficult to have control over.
Ashleigh shares her cyberbullying story here and there are some great strategies on how to deal with cyberbullying here. How would you deal with cyberbullying if it happened to you? If you saw a friend getting bullied online, how would you help them?
Would love to hear your thoughts, experiences and questions below! 💛
Comments
This is such a relevant discussion, especially with how interconnected we are now through social media and technology. After lockdown and online learning, I know that a lot of people found using Zoom to be difficult and uncomfortable with the fear of online bullying. As you mentioned it can be really rough as sometimes people tend to have that bandwagon and cancel-culture mentality and sometimes things can really snowball really fast.
I'm glad that people are able to share their stories and support each other. If I saw a friend being bullied online - I would support them by spending more time with them in person and taking their focus off of social media.
I think cyberbullying is such an important topic! The world has changed so so much since social media blew up. The way people interact with each other is completely different now. Before social media, you could at least go to the safety of your home. Now, cyberbullies can reach you 24/7 online and it's even harder to feel you're safe or that you can take a momentary break.
I have been fortunate enough to have not been cyberbullied but I'm aware that so many face this challenge every day and it can take a huge toll on your mental health. I think the link @Iona_RO provided on how to deal with cyberbullying perfectly sums up how I would try to deal with it. I think it's also really helpful to talk to someone you trust so that at least one person knows what's happening, and can help you before it escalates.
