When social media first started to skyrocketed, my friends and I were heavy on it. We would spend hours decorating our MySpace pages with the right layout, quotes, pictures, etc. or brainstorming ideas on what to blog about for our Xanga accounts (only true Millennials know about these websites). Sometimes, we would troll people. I remember one specific occasion where I purposely made a fake account to troll these group of girls who back-stabbed me. After it was all said and done, I felt extremely bad about it. I didn’t wish death on them but I said some pretty hateful things that if someone said to me, I’d probably fall into a deep depression. They may have hurt my feelings first but seeing how upset they were broke me. I vowed to never let someone feel that horrible again. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same mindset as me.
Back then, trolling wasn’t even a thing and was very rare. Now, it’s everywhere. No one can barely say or do anything without a collective group of strangers making disrespectful, negative comments to them. For example, on episode three of the first season of Catfish: Trolls a plus-sized woman named Ciera details how someone stole her selfies and created an offensive meme about plus-sized women. The meme went viral and people began trolling and body shaming her. When Ciera addressed the guy who created the meme on the episode, his reasoning was “It’s the Internet. People can say what they want.”
There is wrong and there is right. Trolling someone is absolutely wrong. What gives anyone the right to chastise and judge another human being – especially someone we don’t know – about their appearance, lifestyle, and decisions? The Internet and expansion of social media has brainwashed people into thinking that trolling is okay when it’s not. How could anyone possibly think it’s okay to purposely want to hurt someone? This notion of “I can say what I want because it’s my social media account” is stupid and downright immature.
Trolling shouldn’t be a thing that our society thrives off of. We shouldn’t get a rush by bringing someone else down. Contrary to popular belief, words hurt. You may not think one little comment to someone won’t hurt their feelings and make them second guess themselves, but it will. Case in point, when social media accused Kehlani of cheating on Kyrie Irving with PARTYNEXTDOOR, people called her a whore, said her music was trash, and the worst of it all, said she deserved to die. That day, Kehlani almost tried to take her own life. Immediately, people regretted some of the things they said. But it shouldn’t take kicking and pushing someone to their lowest point for our society to realize that trolling is vile. Some may say that celebrities have to deal with it because “it’s what they signed up for.” No one signs up for their career to be trolled. Celebrities are still human just as much as anyone else.
I walk around in constant fear because I think someone may film or take a picture of me and I might suddenly became a part of an offensive meme, which will lead to my comment section and mentions being filled with Internet trolls. I shouldn’t feel this way but it’s the harsh reality. I’m more afraid of being trolled than I am of anything else. The Internet and social media used to be a safe place. Now, it’s a place of darkness.
Think before you say something offensive. Ask yourself, “how would I feel if someone said this to me?” If your answer is “I’d probably feel terrible” don’t do it. Even if your answer isn’t, still don’t do it.