From Streets To Abusers On Social Media – Women Face Harassment Everywhere #WomenOnTheMove

Abusers on Social Media get the perfect breeding ground to lauch their attack on women behind the veil of anonymity. #WomenOnTheMove

Abusers on Social Media get the perfect breeding ground to launch their attack on women behind the veil of anonymity. #WomenOnTheMove

World Wide Web. A wonderful invention that reduced the distance and brought the world closer. However, this wonderful invention is quickly becoming the breeding ground for abusers, stalkers and online trolls who on the pretext of anonymity and lack of accountability, launch some of the most vile and vicious attacks on people. And more often than not the target of these attacks are women.

Gurmehar Kaur, a Delhi University student faced the brunt of Social Media trolling for her comments on the Ramjas College protests. Trisha, a famous South Indian actor and an ambassador for PETA faced the ire of the online world for her views and comments to ban Jallikattu. And the most recent trolling of Sakshi Dhoni who questioned the government for making her husband’s personal details public.

What’s common in all these three cases is the language that was used by the keyboard warriors — issuing rape threats to shut down women who dared to cross the ‘lakshman rekha‘ and speak their minds.

Last week, we had our weekly #WomenOnTheMove chat over at Twitter, where we discussed why people resort to cyber bullying and say things that they won’t say in person, the psychological impact of online trolling and ways to deal with them. This is what they said.

The rise of the dark web

Social media is a place where people choose to say things that they won’t say in person. Why?

The psychological effects of trolling

How much ever we try not to be impacted, but words cuts through us in unimaginable ways leaving us scarred and scared  

How to stop the unpleasant conversation?

Avoiding, ignoring and blocking

Does ignoring and avoiding help? Does it embolden the abuser?

That said…

I want to take a stand and report but does it work?

Image: Pixabay

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About the Author

Jyotishree Mohanty

A part time backpacker, an accidental baker, a doting mother, a loving wife, a pampered daughter, an inspired blogger, an amateur photographer read more...

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