Essay

Ifunanya Ibe

Professor Frank

English 1101- LCP

7 October 2014

Social Media Can Be a Nightmare

Peer to peer bullying is nothing new. It has existed since the beginning of time. However, the times have changed since the cyber world came in the picture, the bullies have relocated to the internet to torment internet users. While cyber socializing gives people around the world the ability to interact with loved ones who are both close and far, these sites can have negative effects on others. In the article, it states that Robin Williams’s daughter, Zelda, received hate from the infamous internet trolls. Zelda was bombarded by trolls spewing some of the worst hate social media has to offer. Anonymously, of course, the trolls took the time out of their days to attack Zelda and her relationship with her father. In her time of mourning, this was too much, so she decided to step back from her Twitter and Instagram accounts “I’m sorry. I should’ve risen above. Deleting this from my devices for a good long time, maybe forever. Time will tell. Goodbye” (Dewey). Even though Dewey doesn’t state too much of her opinion, she shares her disgust towards the trolls and argues that women are easier targets on social media. But a celebrity quitting isn’t exactly the most alarming problem the world faces. Trolling doesn’t happen privately and the emotional damage left by the trolls can be quite devastating. This is particularly true for women; especially the ones who post about feminism, they have become a frequent target of trolls.

In this day and age anybody with internet access can go online and talk to whoever they want. This access gave birth to what we call a troll, a troll is someone who posts a deliberately provocative message with the intention of causing maximum disruption. The worst kind of trolls are the Internet trolls; they have the power to follow and stalk anyone anywhere through the many wires and inner workings of the internet they call home. Most of the time,...