Social media is a complicated web comprising a diverse set of people. Conversations and threads on topics ranging from one’s favourite TV series to the political direction of the US President's policies are discussed at length or packed in 140 characters or less. Not everyone has the same opinion on certain topics of discussion. And not everyone will agree with you if you cared to express it. The desire to abuse seems to creep in at some point; perhaps it is ingrained in some of us. Where does one draw the line while having discussions on social media?
We have some witty characters online tagging Sushma Swaraj and asking to be rescued from the theatre while watching Jab Harry Met Sejal. But humour is quite subjective, as we have seen in the past week regarding the same movie. On Twitter, Dhanya Rajendran, editor-in-chief of The News Minute, made an off-the-cuff remark about walking out from the movie hall while watching Jab Harry Met Sejal. She added that the only other movie she walked out of before this was Vijay’s Sura―six years before. What followed was a spate of deplorable abuse thrown at her by the actor’s fans. A few polite fans asked her not to insult their hero, but the kind of vitriol that a majority of “fans” spewed at the senior journalist was disgusting to say the least. Dhanya deleted her tweet, but she wasn’t about to take any of the abuse sitting down. She retweeted, took screenshots of some of these tweets and posted them on her timeline. She has since filed an FIR against four Twitter users who repeatedly posted abusive messages.
The senior journalist seems to have won the battle, but what she went through in the course of four days before filing her complaint was anything but relaxing. And she isn’t alone. Scores of men and women get bombarded with abuses on social media for expressing their opinions, likes and dislikes, or even something as simple as their favourite ice cream flavour.
Spurred by anonymity
One of the reasons for the spurt in such abuse is the anonymity that certain platforms provide. Mind you, your identity is merely hidden from other users. Absolute anonymity is not guaranteed as you use your email to log in to your accounts. You have the option of hiding behind an egg or a frog avatar and posting vile things online. Vulgarity seeps into their comments because they know no one is going to give it back to them on a personal level. If they don’t know who you are, how can they attack you, right?
However, police are now quick to respond to such complaints and take action against users. One such case is singer Chinmayi Sripada, who has been a pillar of support for women facing abuse online. She stated on Twitter that the first arrests made in India for cyber abuse/bullying was on a case she filed five years ago when a bunch of trolls (among them a professor from NIFT and an employee at the Tirupur Collectorate) targeted her in a discussion she wanted no part of. They dragged her name through mud, passed vulgar comments on her family members and made rape threats―all because she didn’t agree with them. Chinmayi also started an online petition with #RapeThreatsNotOK seeking to shut down abusive trolls.
Another incident that comes to mind is the one that happened last year when a woman from Kerala posted her view on actor Mohanlal’s movie Pulimurugan on social media. Let us be honest, Pulimurugan isn’t exactly what one would call cinematic excellence. Sure, the special effects were pretty great, but the story―wait, let’s not digress... The post went viral as the woman’s profile was open to the public. Not long after, abusive comments by incensed fans flooded her timeline. She briefly changed her profile setting and made it unavailable for public, but soon shifted it back. She was adamant that she wouldn't let a bunch of bullies, who claim to be fans, affect her opinion or surrender to the abuse being hurled at her.
What is the worst part in such cases? The “fans” think that it is the right thing to do―abuse the ones with a different opinion and bully them until they apologise or change their stand. If you are a woman, brace yourself for rape and death threats, revolting descriptions of your sexual life and even a planned, organised attack like what Dhanya endured when trolls teamed up to trend #PublicityBeepDhanya with over 30,000 abusive tweets.
Men are subject to a range of colourful abuses as well―the most obvious one is being referred to as a homosexual. As if that’s an insult. But the comments somehow turn to the women in their lives. More than the man in question, a majority of the comments is directed toward his mother, sister or wife with some kind of sexual innuendo. For example, Virat Kohli’s appalling performance in a crucial game would automatically generate comments on how his girlfriend Anushka Sharma distracted him. So if he plays a fantastic game, shouldn’t Anushka be praised and given the credit? Oh wait, it doesn’t work that way. Who will you abuse otherwise, right?
Deal with it
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, as long as they don’t shove it down on someone. Did you like a movie? Do threats from random faceless people on social media change your opinion about the movie? No, you still think you paid good money on a 2.5 hour snoozefest. An individual has the right to an opinion. James Damore, the Google employee who was fired from the company for his conservative views, is also entitled to an opinion. But his opinion happened to promote the view of discriminating women employees because of biological differences; that men were more suited for roles in the tech industry than women. I disagree with James. I might even consider him *an expletive*. We don’t want girls growing up thinking they can’t contribute in fields such as science, technology, economics, mathematics or any other subject for that matter. Who knows, it could be a woman who finds the cure to cancer!
The wheels of change have been set in motion. Abuse, however, is going to be hurled at anyone who dares to express their opinion on a public platform. Is it going to stop anytime soon? No. Right now, the best any of us can do is not be cowed down by such trolls, and take action. Don’t stand by and watch it happen. Don’t say “ignore the trolls”. If anyone issues rape and death threats against another person, that is intent to harm. When they say they know where you live or work and that they will “see you”, don’t overlook it. Go straight to the authorities who can take action. The fear that comes with such abuse cannot and should not be ignored.
Social media is an open, inclusive and a safe space where everyone should feel welcomed. There is no room for vile individuals who tell others what a waste of space they are. Engage in constructive discourse and show some trace of being a decent human being.
Disagree. Discuss. Deal with it.
