July 25, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR – We need to be civil and respectful when posting comments on social media or face the consequences
CYBERBULLYING, an issue that has been of great concern for years, has resurfaced again in the wake of the tragic death of social media influencer A. Rajeswary, better known as Esha.
The RM100 fine imposed on the cyberbullies, which is barely enough to cover a week’s worth of groceries in most homes, caused a public outcry.
The tragedy not only prompted calls for stricter cyberbullying laws but also greater accountability from social media platforms.
It is unfortunate that it had to take the death of a person for the matter to be taken seriously.
We are finally seeing cyberbullying “trending” everywhere.
But scroll through any social media platform, and you will realise that cyberbullying is an everyday occurrence.
I have the habit of going through the comment sections of viral posts and videos on social media.
It can be very entertaining to see people getting all worked up over a silly post about avocados, a cat video, or just some random stuff that has nothing to do with them.
However, things can take a negative turn fairly quickly.
The name-calling, racial slurs, body shaming, and all the ugliness of social media would then surface.
The fact that social media users could easily be provoked to use hurtful words, which they may not use in person, is terrifying.
Sure, there are those who hide behind fake accounts, but that is not always the case.
There are many social media users who have no issues using their own identity when posting hurtful comments online.
It is easy to think that we are not capable of doing that.
But pause for a minute and think if we have also been involved in such acts.
A simple example is the comments section in videos of the cyberbullies involved in Esha’s death where social media users made remarks about the perpetrators’ looks.
There is no doubt that the bullies should have received a more severe punishment and that there is no excuse for their actions.
However, why are we commenting about their looks when it was their actions and attitudes that were the problem?
What do their looks have to do with it?
It is the same story every time a video goes viral. Some social media users are too eager to body-shame and make fun of a person’s looks or voice instead of holding the person accountable for their actions.
The government seems to be going in the right direction in addressing cyberbullying.
I sincerely hope that they follow through and strengthen the laws to better address the matter, especially with the growing role of social media in our lives.
There should also be more resources, including a hotline, for people to turn to when they are struggling with cyberbullying.
While it is easy to leave the matter solely to the authorities, we should remember that we are also equally responsible to ensure that this does not happen again.
It needs to start with us, the social media users. Just take a minute or two to ponder how words would affect others before hitting ‘enter’. That is the first step.
It bothers me that some disrespectful comments on social media are from young people.
Which is why children, from a very young age, must be taught about the impact their words can have.
I recently watched an old interview of Monica Lewinsky with Last Week Tonight’s host John Oliver where they spoke about the effect of public shaming and bullying.
Lewinsky, known for her affair with former United States president Bill Clinton, could definitely attest to the devastating effects of bullying.
Now an anti-bullying activist, Lewinsky shared her concerns about how much worse the public shaming she endured then could have been in the world of social media today, and that shows how serious this issue is.