Written by: Jiya Sapkota - 25003, Grade X
Posted on: 31 January, 2023
Deep within social media lies a very dark and hidden world, a world which is often only seen by some surprisingly unlucky ones. It is a world where innocent people are relentlessly harassed, where private information is leaked, where people are lied to, and where innocent lives are ruined.
Social media does have many positive aspects but it also has a dark side which is often hidden from the public view. This dark side can be difficult to escape from. Various people find themselves to be so into social media that it has been almost impossible to stop the obsession. Many people have found themselves regretting the fact that they’ve grown up on the internet, in a way that has made them too mature for their age, mentally. They’ve complained about growing up too early.
Amongst all the problems, cyberbullying is the major problem prevalent in the internet. It is estimated that more than half of the teen population in the world have been cyberbullied at some point of their life. Cyberbullying can take various forms, such as name-calling, threatening messages, sharing mean content, and spreading rumors. It can be extremely hurtful and can often lead to stress related conditions, mental disorders, real-life or internet violence, etc. People that went through cyberbullying state that they have had problems dealing with the way they view themselves, have had problems sharing even non-informative content, have found themselves being way too conscious about posting something, etc.
Next, threatening. Threatening is a much bigger problem than it seems. Threatening can have different forms like, threatening to harm somebody’s known ones, threatening to leak or share somebody’s vulnerable information or pictures, etc. The threatened person can have various problems like; trust issues, being too conscious, being very private, etc.
Online harassment. It is a serious issue that has caused serious problems to various internet users. This type of harassment can also be categorised in sexual harassment, mental harrassment, verbal abuse, etc. The harasser might harass the user sexually by asking them inappropriate information and pictures or videos, or sharing inappropriate pictures or videos without consent, texting inappropriately and unwanted sexualization. And if a person has been guilt tripping someone, threatening someone, intimidating them, sharing hurtful and painful words, the person is immediately considered to be mentally harassing them.
Children and teenagers are the age group most at risk from the following effects of social media. This is because they are the most active users of social media, and also because they have a low level of information regarding social media. Similarly, Older age groups are also affected by the negative effects of social media, but to a lesser extent than children and teenagers. This is because they are comparatively less active on the media, and because they generally have more social media literacy.
Social media can potentially be a very dangerous and hazardous place, and it is very important to be aware of the risks. If you or someone you know is being trapped inside this painful side of social media, it is important to report it to someone safer and acknowledged in this topic.
Source:
Enough is Enough: Cyberbullying, “Cyberbullying Statistics”
