With the increase of social media usage, one of the main concerns is the rise of cyberbullying. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, cyberbullying is the electronic posting of negative or mean-spirited messages about a person, often done anonymously. As we look at the theme of social media and identity, it is important that we examine the effects of cyberbullying on a person’s identity. Cyberbullying can take many forms. These may include harassment, insulting, trolling, impersonating, catfishing and outing. Many times, these behaviours can be seen in the comments section on a social media platform. Too often arguments are started because of a difference in opinion, and then escalates into verbal abuse and sometimes bullying. Cyberbullying can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and even suicide.
Young people that post messages on social media are not immediately confronted by the consequences of their actions and as a result, they might not feel responsible for the damaging outcome. Because of the flexibility of social media, digital content can be shared instantaneously, and it is nearly impossible to remove it permanently. This can have negative impacts on both the victims and the offenders. The victims may be reminded of past traumas they faced, and the bullies will have a permanent record of their actions which could affect their future.
As a result, we are launching the Embracing You social media campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to get young people to remain grounded in their beliefs while being open-minded to other individuals. This means we want them to accept who they are and embrace themselves while being understanding, respectful and tolerant of people who are different.
At the end of the campaign, we hope that persons will learn to use social media responsibly and not use it to abuse individuals. We hope to encourage persons to remain true to themselves and be accepting of other people’s differences. We want young people to think before they post something and whether what they say will come across as hurtful. Expressing your opinion does not have to involve oppressing or silencing another’s voice. This campaign will help them to show more compassion and treat others as how they would want to be treated.
This campaign is managed by Danielle Raymah, Clerk at the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago; Alicia Nicholson, former supervisor at NCB Jamaica Ltd; Tameka Heath-Harding, Supervisor’s Assistant at 24-7 Intouch and Marian Lewis, Customer Service Associate at Collective Solution. Each manager understands the effects of social media on identity, by being part of the age group of the target audience or by observing the effects on people within that group.
