Before shaming others online, put yourself in their shoes

Trolling and shaming has become the new norm in today's society. It is overwhelming that we all, in a way, participate in this vice just to get a few laughs and a little bit of fame, unaware that we might be hurting some innocent individual close to us or across the globe. We have been caught up in this social media craze where everyone is so busy chasing fame and money that they don’t care about other people’s feelings. 

When trolling and bullying others online, we forget that they are human beings like us, with emotions. How would you feel if someone else did the same to you? We toss all our virtues aside for what? Fame? Money? A few laughs?

It pains me to hear of teenagers committing suicide. A good 59 per cent of teenage suicides are caused by cyberbullying. 

Today, almost every teenager owns more than one social media account. Some use their accounts to create bonds while some even earn from them. Then there are those that use these platforms to mock others by posting embarrassing pictures or videos with embarrassing captions. 

Then we share these posts across our platforms for the likes and comments. It is a big shame that even adults who are supposed to teach their kids better are taking part in the shaming.

Some teenagers feel depressed when comparing their lives with other age mates that seem to be thriving. They try to do so much just to live the same lifestyles –
engaging in abuse of drugs, crime activities and even gambling. Yet our parents always say, “Be yourself and appreciate the little you have now and God will bless you with more" 

Do we really believe in that anymore? We are all looking for fast ways to make cash and get famous. We don’t want to be patient while job hunting. We look for easier ways to get money. We ignore the fact that celebrities only post their success online, while hiding their low moments. 

Parents and guardians should protect the young and vulnerable by monitoring their engagement on social media. Limiting the time they spend on their phones and safeguarding their accounts to ensure they are not exposed to violent or nude images is one way of doing this. 

If the parent notices any distress or unhappiness in their children, they should find out what happened, and how to save their kids form abuse. If the kid went through trolling or any form of cyberbullying the adult should report the incident to the authorities. They should also make a point of talking to their children often to find out whether they are in good mental health. 

We cannot keep silent when those we consider the leaders of tomorrow are killing themselves. We can certainly do something about it.

Zahrah Mohammed
Maseno University