It is almost everyday that you see students crying in the halls, going to guidance for emotional support, suffering in silence, and even disassociating themselves from their personal life.
What’s so shocking is that it’s their own peers who are bringing down their morale and confidence.
“I have a pretty good experience with posting online. Nothing bad ever really happened. I
post whatever I want when I feel like it,” said Ian Chicas.
Generally this should be the attitude that students have when it comes to social media,
after all it is there for them to use. However when people start to critique others because of this
is when it becomes an issue.
Whether it be anonymously or publicly it is a big problem within our community and it
greatly affects how students carry themselves in real life and social media. Students should feel
confident to be themselves and be proud of who they are, not looking to see which eyes are
judging them.
“I saw some girl trash talking about another girl on her story once. She was exposing a
bunch of secrets, photos, and spreading rumors about the girl,” said Ian Chicas.
These types of instances are very common nowadays, people’s personal business are
spread on social media and because of that it gets known within everyone around them. When
others see this they always gossip and share it with who they can.
“I feel that students in our community are judgemental, it leads to bullying online. This is
where I also saw kids go back and forth insulting each other,” said Stephanie Rampersaud.
The insults and remarks that are thrown at each other instills fear within the students,
whether it be the ones directly involved or bystanders who see this and fear putting themselves
in that situation.
“I feel like when I post it can look different from what I look like in person which might
make people talk about me,” said Rampersaud.
On top of this there is pressure from your own self about whether the post is good
enough, if others like it, and generally how that makes you feel. Having to worry about whether
it’ll be something people like or hate all contributes to the feeling that students get.
“It’s full on nerve racking and anxiety causing to post. If you don’t get enough likes or
hearts it upsets you. It is just an anxious act overall,” said Rampersaud.
Copyright for picture:
“Instagram to Use Machine Learning to Detect Signs of Bullying in Photos – National |
Globalnews.ca.” Global News, globalnews.ca/news/4530769/instagram-machine-
learning-bullying/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.