Social Media: A Hotbed for Cyberbullying

SOCIAL MEDIA: A HOTBED FOR CYBERBULLYING

Disclaimer- The following piece is based on a mix of opinions and facts derived from various sources. We do not intend to offend the sentiments of any individual or community. 

Cyberbullying, in recent times has emerged as a social evil in the society by affecting the disadvantaged or minorities mentally and sometimes physically. The queer community being a minority group become victims of online bullying very often. A study proves that LGBT adolescents are disproportionately more likely to be victims of cyberbullying than their heterosexual and cisgender peers, and sexual-minority youth are victims of cyberbullying at more than twice the rate of their heterosexual peers. The surge in reporting such cases sheds the light on increasing attacks on the minority communities, gender discrimination and mental health issues. 

                       (Source: GenPride)

Online spaces are comparatively very effective than offline spaces in giving an opportunity to the LGBTQI+ community to express their gender identity openly and build a platform for themselves to voice out their concerns and also propose solutions if needed. Digital spaces for some extent did aid in the community’s visibility in the society and have also caused their empowerment overall by gaining the support of people across the globe which wouldn’t have been the case with offline spaces alone. However, the online spaces do have certain disadvantages as at many instances they are hostile to the community which states that the queer community is also victimized because of cyberbullying. 

                       (Source: Genpride)

The recent case in Ujjain brought to the notice of how impactful and dangerous online bullying can be. Pranshu was a 16-year old queer beauty influencer on instagram who used to make content wearing makeup, nail paint, sarees and other traditional wear. However, due to the dominant existence of homophobes and stereotypical people in the society, Pranshu’s gender identity and his acts were constantly trolled, criticized and made fun of. Though he claimed to be resistant enough to all these comments, on november 21, 2023, he was found hanging dead in his room. The Ujjain police are yet to determine the exact cause of death but his family and friends are convinced about him being a victim of cyberbullying. 

                  (Image Credit: India Today) 

The major social media platforms that not just give a platform to the queer community but also form a hotbed of harassment and give the formula to beat the trolls are instagram, twitter, facebook. Along with these, cyberbullying cases against the queer people have also been reported from gaming platforms and according to recent trends, even from online dating apps. According to the 2023 US National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People, 41 per cent of the 28,000 youth surveyed seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous year. Most of them faced online bullying, the survey revealed.

The contemporary scenario definitely demands proper stringent rules and laws against cyberbullying, says many mental health experts. It is depressing to find that people have to fight with the entire world to just be themselves. Gender activists and experts say, the queer people facing such issues should try to build a thick-skin which can be developed with the support of one’s own family, friends, well-wishers and most importantly by enabling better intrapersonal communication methods. Therefore, the instances of cyberbullying stand as a reminder for all those people around, broadly the homophobic society to come out of the stereotypical boxes established on baseless comments on sex and gender and move towards more inclusive and safe spaces both in online and offline platforms. 

By- Nishita Sinha