You can be anyone and no one. There, and gone in an instant.
That’s the power of anonymity, and the internet provides that in spades. That also means you can say what you want, and face little repercussion. What once was labeled cyberbullying has become commonplace in many online spaces, and many choose to just ignore it.
A common retort to victims of cyberbullying is to “Just close the app” or “Turn off your phone.”
It’s a retort that holds truth but is often used as a weapon to shame the victim for bringing awareness to the issue. And so, after existing in this environment so long, we grow numb to it. Numb to the insults, the issues, and most importantly, the people.
Depersonalization is the phenomenon in which a person feels detached from themselves, almost like they are an observer to their actions and not the one committing those actions.
This isn’t too foreign of a concept given that our online presence is shown with profile pictures. These pictures can be of anything. Even if one uses a picture of themselves, when that picture was taken could vary greatly from user to user. Someone in their 50s could use a picture from their 20s.
As far as the world is concerned, that picture is you.
Which leads us to derealization; when one’s ability to see their surroundings are impaired. What’s real? What’s fake? Who knows?
And so, a detachment to the world around them forms.
There is an old saying, if a tree falls in the middle of the woods, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? We can’t clearly see those we interact with, because we don’t know them, trust them, or care. As a result, we treat them as if they aren’t human.
Now of course on a realistic level, we know that other people exist. But online, so much about how we perceive is impaired.
Measuring tone, meaning, intensity, and body language is very difficult, if not virtually impossible.
So, with all of that said, what happens when this nameless, faceless entity says something you don’t like? Well, you could ignore it. That would be ideal.
But often we take that thing that bothers us and we think about who said it, why they said it. We think, and think, and think.
But at the end of the day, it’s just some jerk with a username. Who cares about the intensity of what they said, or if they really mean it? They had the audacity to speak in a way that upset you, so you give that same energy.
With so much to be said, it’s important to remember that while the internet connects us, there’s a limit. Instead of an open road, communication online is like a big wall with holes in it that you can reach through to connect with someone else. Just remember, there’s someone on the other side.
Editor’s Note: If you feel you are subject to cyberbullying, please reach out to the Counseling Center: [email protected].
