A piece of hate mail, a death threat, a derogatory comment on your picture. It comes in many different forms and we all know it happens., but do we choose to face it or ignore it? Cyber bullying, everyone reacts different but, how does it make the victim feel?
If you’ve never been cyber bullied you’re about to find out what it feels like. The internet is a powerful tool, and can make you feel good about yourself every time you post a selfie, but when it’s turned against you, you can feel small, and worthless.
“When I get hate it hurts me, I feel like nobody appreciates me. I feel when good things happen to me that’s when I get the most hate,” 27 year old Angela Gilbert from Michigan said.
Feeling unappreciated is just the tip of the iceberg, it can make you feel broken and depressed, you can loose your self esteem and never feel the same.
Getting a death threat can send the victim spiraling. Such things as “go kill yourself” or “you’re a waste of space” are always getting tossed around in the Instagram, Facebook, and the social media community in general, but do bullies ever stop to think about what would they would do if their victims really did commit suicide? The bullies would have to live the rest of their life knowing they caused someone to do something so terrible.
“I have received so many death threats, it’s rather shocking. They tell me they are going to hunt me down and kill me, some even get descriptive. It scares me to be honest,” Gilbert said.
Bystanders also play a big role in cyber bullying. When they step in it can make the situation better.
“My friends are like family to me, when I see them getting hate, I usually feel like I have to step in and help them,” 16 year old Gabriella Smith said.
Protecting each other is just as important as protecting yourself, especially if you as a bystander knows what it feels like to get hate.
Getting help is important though, no one should ever face it alone. If you’re having trouble and need help, you could possibly contact your school counselor and they can help you.
“I would be available to the student to listen to what they experienced and to support them here at school. Typically, counselors do not handle instances of cyber bullying on their own so my first would step be to encourage that student to tell their parents/family to ensure they have support from someone at home,” East school counselor Lauren Brandt Erickson said.
Talking to someone will make you feel better and make the situation less stressful to handle alone.