Written by Edge of Humanity Magazine Staff

We live in a digital era, which offers a sense of convenience. Here, information flows freely and connections are made easily.

Gone are those days when striking a friendship meant face-to-face interactions. With the click of a button, you can enter or exit anybody’s life. But there’s a darker side that we cannot ignore.

Say you log into your favorite online platform after a long hectic day at work. All you want to do is relax and unwind. You see a message notification. Curiosity gets the best of you and you open it, only to come across a hurtful message. While you try to brush it off, it can gnaw at you in the background, impacting your self-esteem. This scenario is all too familiar for millions of individuals. This is online harassment.

Online harassment is becoming more common and severe as the day passes. Today, 4 in 10 Americans say they have experienced some form of abuse when online.

From social media platforms to online forums, and gaming websites to the comment section, no corner of the internet is immune to online harassment. And, this affects individuals of all age groups.

When we talk about online harassment, the most common form is cyberbullying. It targets people with hurtful messages, embarrassing photos and videos, etc. With cyberbullying, the perpetrator tries to pick on the victim’s vulnerability.

Social media platforms, where you will find 62.3% of the world’s population, serve as breeding grounds for cyberbullying.

When your online personal space becomes targeted, it fills you with fear and negativity. Even kids are not spared. Nearly 42% of kids have been bullied online and almost one in four have had it happen more than once.

But online harassment doesn’t stop with just cyberbullying. We also have trolling. Again, it is seen commonly on social media platforms where individuals are deliberately provoked with offensive remarks to elicit strong emotional responses. The main problem here is that some trolls see their actions as harmless fun or an exercise of free speech.

However, it can have an adverse impact on one’s mental health. We have seen the pervasive rise of suicides among teenagers because of the same.

The main reason why some find it easy to troll is because of the anonymity offered by the internet. It becomes almost effortless for individuals to create fake accounts or assume false identities to deceive and manipulate others. Infact, 28% of people admit to being trolls. It’s a way for them to affirm their privilege and power.

While trolling started in the late 80s, it is in recent years that the phenomenon has turned dark. If we look at the statistics, trolling shows an increase in suicidal thinking in victims by 14.5%. This has, of course, garnered increased attention from social media companies and advocacy groups. We also see several policies and tools to combat harassment, such as reporting systems, content moderation, etc. But is it enough?

Not really because the effectiveness of these measures remains limited. Perpetrators are able to find ways to circumvent them or continue their behavior on other platforms.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to address online harassment. It requires education, awareness-raising, and enforcement of laws and policies to hold perpetrators accountable.

However, until there are stern policies and practices to help control online harassment, it falls on us to take preventive measures like protecting our personal information, using privacy settings, and blocking or reporting abusive users. Each one of us must strive to build a supportive online community where empathy, respect, and civility are valued. This is how we can curate a wholesome online space.