Adult Online Shaming: A Virtual Nuisance

Online shaming and public shaming is becoming too common on social media sites especially Facebook these days. It has become so normal that somebody can harass you online, put you down mentally, or make you uncomfortable with their words, put up your pictures without your consent, and you consider it as a part of the 'virtual world'.

We make fun of politicians, local musicians and even random strangers. Probably the reason why we are not and will never progress as a society/state/nation is that we do not celebrate the strengths of people. We only pull each others down instead of building each others up. There is no constructive mechanisms to combat problems but just a lot of armchair activists typing away in the comfort of their homes. 

With the recent circulation of the pictures of  two girls allegedly participating in prostitution, I'm disgusted at the way it is handled. This is not to say I support prostitution but what is the use of putting up their pictures in every facebook group and taking a video as well. I feel that there are far better and less destructive ways to deal with it. 

All these digital hatred and shaming are done by adults. It's scary that well educated adults participate in this kind of destructive pattern of projecting hatred online. I feel like there are many angry adults online where you are safe only when you "Yes Sir" or "Yes Ma'am" them. It's no use preaching to kids to be kind when adults are behaving like dogs online barking at every one who seem to be on a wrong note with them. Adults on the internet need to grow up! 

Maysoon Zayid, who suffers from Cerebral palsy said in a TED talk, "Humans on the internet are scumbags...I was never made fun of as a child or an adult but suddenly my disability on the World Wide Web is fair game. The doctors said I wouldn't walk but here I am here in front of you today. However, if I grow up with social media, I don't think that I would be."

I wish we can include Digital literacy programs on our educational curriculum regarding cyber bullying, digital hatred, online safety, so that kids can identify and learn how to deal with these problems. But most importantly, to educate them well so that they turn out to be BETTER ADULTS than us!