Social media has enriched our lives and not too many would contend this. However, there’s also a flipside to having a strong presence on social media. Irresponsible posts, taunting memes and carefree abuses that culminate into trolls and bullying can wreak havoc in one’s personal life. And most of the time, the damage is done even before one realises it. Not only celebrities, common people too often get trolled. Netizens who troll often resort to hate speech, out-of-context comments, cuss words and at times even give death threats. Orissa POST caught up with a few youngsters from different walks of lives to know if they have been victims of social media trolls and how they handle it.
Abhinav Singh is a Bangalore-based senior automation developer. He is also associated with Krumping, a street dance form characterised by free, expressive, exaggerated and highly energetic movements. Given the kind of profession he is into, Abhinav needs to have an active social media presence. Abhinav says, “We have come to a point where online presence has become a necessity. Most people feel empowered when they have an online presence and develop a confidence to express anything they feel like. I have been trolled and bullied on numerous occasions wherein my contemporaries used cuss words and even made fun of my dancing style.”
Initially, he used to remain upset for days after such trolls. However, with time he has learnt to deal with such situations. Abhinav, who is also the founder of Odisha Artist Connection, says, “As an artiste, I lead a lifestyle which is different from others and it is okay if people don’t understand it. I do it for my own satisfaction and happiness. Initially, I used to feel sad and depressed and would often become aggressive, picking up fights online. But I learnt that the best thing to do is not to take these things personally as their views don’t make much of a difference in my life. I now believe in investing time into something that’s creative instead getting unto unnecessary arguments with these people online.”
Pranay Sudha is a young Odia poet and has three poetry anthologies, Ei Akashara Tale, Chuna Chuna Sunara Kabita and Prajapatira Ghara, to his credit. He is known in the literary circuit for writing bold poems. “I regularly post poems on my Facebook page, expecting my friends to share their opinion. Most of my poems are received well by the online readers. I always welcome constructive criticism and in this case I patiently explain my stand. But at times, some people stoop to any level to slam me. However, it hardly affects me,” he says.
Pranay believes that his poems are a shade different from the ones written by his contemporaries. Hence, it is a human nature to not accept new concept easily. “I write what I believe in and don’t think much if it will stir up a controversy. Those who troll often become so hostile that they start invading my privacy over my writings. But it has failed to impact me much as I always try to state the truth. For me, jackals have never succeeded in hunted lions nor will they do so in future. So, I don’t get perturbed about trolls,” he adds.
Theatre actor Radha Krushna, who stays in Mumbai, has also been victim of social media trolls on numerous occasions. “Those who troll on social media thrive on attention and they often distract you from your job. The best way to deal with them is to simply ignore them. I believe that people troll you online because they can’t face you physically and try to incite anger in you. If you respond to such trolls, you play into their hands,” says Radha.
The Adhe Adhure actor also says, “Sometime such unwarranted criticism disturbs me to a certain extent. But being an actor, I know how to handle it. However, such trolls often terrify your family members. Recently, a group of users went after me on one of my articles. I tried to clarify my stand but it didn’t work. Then, I stopped responding and concentrated on my work. After a while, they lost interest and things became normal. This is the best way to handle such situations.”
BIJAY MANDAL, OP