Cyberbullying — What, Why and How
“Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. But remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes… hollow.”, Benedict Cumberbatch’s words as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game exactly sums up Cyberbullying, an attack upon content creators and social media users looking to find a place in the internet, simply because people find them weak and easy targets, to satisfy themselves.
In the modern age ideas, knowledge, propaganda, news, entertainment, awareness, everything is shared online and so are public reactions to such material. However, the convenience of hiding behind a screen and anonymously sharing reactions has brought many individuals to forget the courtesy of feedback. This has given rise to offensive content, now termed Cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying refers to all kinds of online content including comments, messages, posts, videos, etc. that are targeted at specific groups, individuals or communities and intended to inflict harm or fear. It also includes sharing personal and private information of individuals to cause humiliation. Cyberbullying also encompasses creating deepfakes of people in compromising videos and actions. Such activities often cross the fine line into criminal activities.
My reason to divulge from technical content and come into this domain was a post about two orphans (the elder and caretaker being a cancer patient) being victims of cyberbullying. The shields of anonymity have perhaps given us so much more power than we were ever taught to wield or respect.
Cyberbullying causes fear in some, some forever forsake the internet or any human connection, some others’ lives are debilitated and their public image ruined forever, and for yet other people it has also caused suicides. And for those who can survive the onslaught for once, psychological issues like anxiety and depression severely affect their lives. It might also trigger in them disbelief in people and extreme alertness which creates defensive walls around them, where once upon a time they dreamt of making bridges.
More often than not, people are bullied based on the ideas they share online. People with different ideologies often dress up as keyboard warriors and fight people of the opposite ideology. These fights are based less on facts and actual discussion of ideas and more on personal insecurities and character assassinations. Benedict Cumberbatch aptly sums it up in the same scene, “The interesting question is, just because something, uh… thinks differently from you, does that mean it’s not thinking?”
After so many of us fought to bring justice to Alan Turing and to have him pardoned, I’m sure his soul must be smiling at us from heavens for what we have created now. Here’s to millions of Alan Turings suffering, depressed and those that committed the final act.
Very often, bullies are like Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes, doing crime for the sake of attention and validation. Bullies can be individuals with low self-esteem and an inferiority complex. These people can go to any lengths to seek attention from others and be recognized as part of something. Therefore, no amount of fighting them or engagement is going to stop them. The best course of action would be to disengage totally from such people and create a severe draught of attention.
For people facing more persistent attacks, informing authorities is a good step towards combating bullies. For children, it is recommended that parents regularly monitor children’s activities online to ensure they are not victims or perpetrators of cyberbullying. Always remember to document evidences with screenshots before they are deleted and block the responsible parties.
Good digital hygiene are essential to stop cyberbullying and their effect on ourselves, others and even our children. I would be writing on digital hygiene next. However, if you have been victim of such activities and do experience psychotic fits or other issues forcing you to draw yourself out from social activities, please do seek professional help. The trauma from bullying is much like warfare, and gets ingrained into our hearts. Keep your parents and loved ones informed and work with them towards healing.
For relatives and loved ones of such victims, please provide them the care and attention that they need today. Recovering from trauma requires great amount of care, affection and love, but it is certainly curable and it is possible to get the person back.
And finally to Alan Turing, “We wish we could create a world where we could look away from your differences and focus on the innovation you brought. The world of computers was dearest to you and so were the possibilities of these ‘differently thinking machines’ solving our problems. We hope one day we shall look beyond beyond differences and look towards more possibilities like you taught us.”
