“You have one new follower request.” “You have a new mention from @_______” “@_________ just liked your photo.”
We live in an era where social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. Due to the accessibility of the World Wide Web, people are able to post content online with just a click of a button. This in turn leads to the publishing of words online without a second thought, and thus, not every content posted is filtered or morally acceptable.
The movie, Unfriended (2015) directed by Leo Gabriadze and written by Nelson Greaves, centrals a group of teenagers whose misdeeds online come back to haunt them during the death anniversary of a girl who was viciously bullied. The whole film is motivated by the problem of bullying, and how online bullying is the most prevalent and yet it is too, overlooked the most by the mass public. The whole movie is portrayed in the form of a macbook screen interface, with features from online media platforms such as Facebook, Skype, Spotify and Youtube. Unfriended has chillingly and hauntingly delivered its message that “online, your memories last forever. But so do your mistakes.”
The mass public’s reaction to this thriller tale consists of both humour and awareness. Many took to their social media to verbalize through different comedic ways about how they would delete all of their media accounts to prevent a “laura barns revenge” to befall them as well. Thankfully, the manifested moral of mindful usage of mass media was not disregarded by the public. It is a heartwarming sight to see teenagers expressing their view on cyberbullying and discussing on how cyberbullying is in fact a topic which should receive more attention and more weight in terms of its severity.
The topic of cyberbullying is one that strike’s a raw nerve of mine. Perhaps it was due to the fact that i fell victim to cyberbullying several times in the past. In my opinion, both cyberbullying and physical bullying are detrimental but while physical bullying leave a scar, cyberbullying leaves behind a fear towards mass media and words. Cyberbullying takes not the form of punches or kicks, but of derogatory terms and insults which the victim will read and process with their own voice and their own mind. Phrases such as “you suck”, “you’re so ugly”, “why are you still alive” will forever haunt the victim’s mind in the forms of whispers or worse, screams which will then affect their self esteem which might cause them to develop self doubt and a shattered self image.
With this being said, how can one prevent cyberbullying from happening? Well, we all have a part to play in keeping the internet a friendly and respectful platform for each and every one of us to indulge in. We can try to be more mindful of the things we say online and to always make sure that we do not use the animosity of the internet as an ally to demean others or post derogatory comments towards or pertaining them. Always keep in mind that everything you do has it’s consequences, no matter online or offline.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” – Desmond Tutu.
If by any chance, you were to see someone getting bullied, no matter which form it is, it is up to you to do the morally upright thing and stand up for them. In my case, i was not lucky enough to have anyone stand up for me when i was cyber bullied. In fact, my classmates had the audacity to take screen caps of the demeaning comments and circulate it within themselves as a form of entertainment. I guess what haunts me the most is that i actually thought they would at least have the kindness and proper moral values to have a stand against cyberbullying. How naive of me, all of them actually blamed me and they claimed that i deserved it for creating “opportunities” to get “insulted”.
Till this day, the incident still continue to haunt me. Sure, apologies were forced out of their mouths, but are those keyboard warriors aware of just how severe the consequences could have been? I’m not even going to sugar coat it; i’ve taught of suicide, i view myself in a negative light and i used to turn to destructive tendencies to cope with an ever growing self hatred which was further fuelled by all of those “careless” words. It’s never ever going to go away, the scar remains, memories don’t fade and what’s done can never be undone. Worst of all, i find it so unfair that everyone else does not know of their misdeed and they can still look at them in a bright light and befriend them as if they weren’t monsters who tore down someone’s ability to ever be mindlessly happy again. I guess this is just a process of life. Sometimes people are being put through though times and tormented relentlessly just so they can be the voices of change and experience, to lend a helping hand for those in need, to build a bridge of awareness for the blissfully ignorant people to journey across and to change the world for the better with each and every action that we do. Because we know what it is like to be trampled over. We know what it’s like to be the underdog, to be disregarded because of our social status whether in school or in society, and to feel lost with life and at the brink of ending it all. We know what it feels like.
And if you are one of them who are facing a tough time right now, i hope you are blessed with understanding friends and a loving family that will help provide you with shelter of warmth and encouragement to get you through it. However if you feel like there are just some worries that the people around you just cannot understand, i don’t mind lending a listening ear.
Research have shown that 1 out of 3 students has been cyber bullied in Singapore, and a 2014 research had Singapore topping the charts with 58% of its teens being cyber bullied before. Singapore has since then created campaigns such as bully-free campaign by Singapore Children’s Society and CABCY, a voluntary society which was set up in 2005 to help children, youths and adults recognise the different forms of bullying, its effects on the victims and what can be done to help reduce or prevent bullying. Let us all work together to create a better world for each and everyone of us. Be more empathetic, open minded and comprehending of everyone around us and use our abilities to bring more love into the world, not hatred or malice.
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