Dubai
Gulf News reader Fatima Suhail, a student based in Dubai, has been targeted by bullies on social media for a while and was forced to withdraw and become anti-social.
She said: “Cases of bullying on social media are on the rise with people having easy access to the latest gadgets and technology. Social and networking sites have become a den for cyber predators who use these to target, bully, harass, blackmail or threaten innocent people. Like any other individual, I have been a victim of bullying on social media. It got to the point when the negative and abusive comments started to impact my behaviour and daily life. I eventually had to stop using social media for sometime to be able to escape those taunts, insults and offensives that were hurled at me on a routine basis.”
Suhail was picked on various reasons, some of them being her nationality, religion and even her gender.
She said: “My email inbox was flooded with random messages from people calling me names, on social media channels they would make comments on my profile picture and some even said things like I had no right to comment because my opinions failed to appeal to them. Every time I extended support towards my country, expressed sympathy with Muslims or voiced an honest opinion, I was victimised. I had comments made about my English, with some suggesting I should properly learn the language. People also had the audacity to say how ugly I looked in an abaya.
“This affected me psychologically and I lost self-confidence. I was convinced I did not deserve to share my thoughts and that my language skills were below average. I would remain upset for days and cry when alone recalling those harsh comments. As a result of being constantly targeted and trashed, I no longer have a display picture, do not share any of my personal details on social sites, have applied maximum privacy settings to keep my information confidential and blocked anybody who tends to disrespect me on the basis of nationality, gender, colour, religion and appearance. I wish there were stricter laws in place and increased cyber policing by the authorities to prevent bullies from misusing these platforms.”
Sarah Nassar, a homemaker based in Dubai, experienced cyber bullying for the first time on the market pages of Facebook when trying to sell used furniture.
She said: “I was selling some candle holders online and one individual started commenting on the picture saying that they looked broken. She went on to accuse me of cheating people and that’s when her friends logged in as a team and posted an array of disrespectful comments as they made fun of me. Another time, I was selling a pair of shoes when an individual made a rude comment about how I had to sell shoes to make money. His friends then joined in and went to the extent of offering me Dh10 because it seemed like I needed it. These bullies work as a team; they find people who they think they can harass and then push him or her into a corner.”
Nassar was most shocked when a member of her community took to social media channels to embarrass the mother.
She said: “My son was at the community playground and was pushed around by two boys, who were supposedely being watched by a nanny. I interrupted and the nanny started fighting with me. Later on, I found the mother of the two boys posting on Facebook about how a woman screamed at her sons. Her friends had posted several comments below on how she should react. They were suggesting things like push the woman’s son down, hit him or push his head into the sand. I was shocked! I posted a response saying they needed to hear both sides of the story before humiliating someone, but it only made things worse. What I realised then is that if you live in a community, people are extremely racist against the minorities within the area. It has happened to me several times before I reached this conclusion.”
Nilofer Taher, an administrator based in Abu Dhabi, is active on social media channels and has had several arguments with people online.
She said: “Cyber bullying is nothing short of road rage. The commenter is often left shell-shocked and horrified. While some reply back and try to defend their comments, most just shudder with fright at the way their comments are construed by the online community. I am very active on the social media sites, which include feeds from different newspapers and blog posts. Unfortunately, voicing my opinion often becomes a battle of wits with me engaging in online shouting matches, often leaving me tired, frustrated and questioning why I commented in the first place.
“My parents, my social upbringing, my religion, my gender, and even my IQ level comes into question. We have forgotten the rules of healthy debates nowadays, and being online it seems anyone can openly express their sheer hatred towards me, even without knowing me personally.”
