By Nivedita Basu
2nd Year, B.Tech (CSE)

“Should I post this picture? Is it too flashy?”
“Oh no, my love-handles are visible…I definitely can’t post this. I don’t want to get trolled again. Sigh​.​”

Times are rough: one needs to battle an avalanche of second thoughts before doing the bare minimum on social media. On the internet, the constant fear of judgments and getting bullied looms heavily over young minds nowadays.

As the world gets smaller by the day with advancement in technologies, new age problems are gradually incarnating. Social media is a blessing in disguise: one cannot turn a blind eye to the rapid growth that has given birth to cyberbullying. In layman’s terms-cyberbullying is nothing but misusing a boon to harass individuals in the virtual world.

Before posting a simple selfie, one has to garb themselves under layers of filters and beauty effects only to lose the originality and the charm that they carry within. Cyberbullying is no longer about hacking into someone’s profile or posing to be someone else. It is rather about spreading negativity and hatred. To bring one another down and to create an environment capable of shattering self-esteem and peace of mind; the dark reality of the virtual world is undeniable. Cyberbullying is everywhere: on social media, public forums, and even on information websites. It holds the potential of taking a complete toll on the mental health of an individual. Some develop insecurities and complexes, while some enter into clinical depression. Yes, that is the impact cyberbullying leaves on a person’s mind.

To walk you through one such incident- a 21-year-old undergraduate from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi, was the target of online harassment when she was just 12.
“A classmate from my previous school had been collecting my photos and information about me and had used it to forge a false

Facebook profile in my name. I had no idea and found out about this fake page through my peers”.
(Source: India Spend.)
Furthermore, the incident was so toll-taking she had to consult a therapist to overcome her depression.

Recent studies by Child Rights and You (CRY) revealed that around 9.2% of 630 adolescents surveyed in the National Capital Region had experienced cyberbullying. One in four adolescents also reported seeing a morphed image or video of themselves. The worst part is that all such cases went unreported. Cyberstalking, in addition to the bullying of women/children, increased by 36% in 2018, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

To reiterate, cyberbullying is real. It needs to stop. One needs to realise that the virtual world is nothing but an illusion. It is undoubtedly a platform to connect, yet it is also where battles with negativity are fought daily.

We may never get rid of people who try to pull us down. However, there are certain precautions that we can take to create a shell around us and protect ourselves:

●  Never share any personal information on any online platform.

●  Avoid posting explicit photos online:they can be misused to harass you.

●  Trynottodiscussprivatemattersonsocialnetworkingsites, even with friends.

●  Never let others take your pictures or videos without your consent.

●  Avoid sharing internet passwords or account details with anyone.

●  Be cautious while posting your pictures,messages, attachments or files on the internet or social media.

●  Refrain from responding to instant messages or emails from a harasser. Instead, immediately report the account and the incident to your parents or the police.

●  Block any communication with the harasser.

●  Do not feed trolls.

●  Lastly and most importantly,THINK before sharing or posting any information online.

It is high time that we stop making our world revolve around the other side of the screen. A world that cherishes your truest self, a world where you do not have to decide on the appropriate filters: that is the real world. A beautiful life exists on this side of the screen, where you can love yourself for being yourself.