Stop Cyber Bullying

We live in a world where information is at our fingertips. The world wide web. It is supposed to be the greatest tool of the 21st century. And yet this magic that brings us closer together comes with a cost. It comes with anonymity. This anonymity is a power to those who were once afraid to share their voices. It's the 'Dear Abby' of the 21st century, but instead of using it as a tool to ask for help and advice, many use it as a way to hurt and attack others.

Cyberbullying is an ever growing crisis worse than the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, it is a pandemic in it's own right, a disease with no cure. In fact due to the pandemic, cyberbullying has increased, especially amongst teenagers. The internet became and ever irreplaceable commodity with the need to do cyber school and zoom meetings in order to maintain social distancing. Even as those days begin to subside, the world has been changed forever, meaning cyber schools and zoom meetings are not only a part of the present but will be a part of the future.

And unfortunately, that is a curse of its own. It has only gotten worse. Since I was in college, I have been a victim of cyberbullying off and on. At one time, my personal information, my myspace, facebook, and cell phone number were posted on a website called 4chan. I was victimized by my photos and my behavior as a teenager all by people who I thought were friends. These "friends" only started this campaign against me because I wouldn't apologize over something stupid and childish (a story for another time).

I am now an adult, working to make dreams come true as an actress and am being bullied on TikTok along with every other millennial and older by generation z and generation alpha. They act as if they control the internet and social media. I have been called names such as five head, asked if I had an onlyfans page, been said I look over ten years older than my actual age, and more. All this because I have chosen to have some fun or done all I can to accomplish my goals.

The anonymity of the internet has allowed people to hide behind their screens and feel powerful. Words. Words are the greatest weapons in the world for they sting long after a cut has healed. I write this article not to sound childish or complain, but to make it known how cruel this world can be. The smaller the world has become, the harder it has become.

It has made the world a more cruel and dangerous place. Teenagers bully each other and now they are able to take their anger and frustrations out on adults without realizing any type of problems that it creates psychologically. People are hurting. It's heart breaking and devastating. The human race seems to only find joy in the pain of others or at least they find the some kind of solace in it if only for a few moments.

I write here because I want people to know that if they have been bullied, if they have been victimized by strangers on the internet or people they believed to be friends that they are not alone. It is okay to be hurt. It is okay to feel pain and betrayal, but the important thing is to remember you are not alone. Don't give up just because someone tells you do. Don't stop being you because you are being attacked. Continue to be you because one day, the haters are going to regret ever hurting you.