I've been watching the news a lot recently. We were visiting Norfolk for a few days and the lack of Sky+ resulted in the BBC news channel being on
a lot.
I watched various pieces about Ask fm making changes to the site, making it easier to report abuse, while families of teenagers who had suffered from online abuse called for the option of anonymity to be taken away.
It's all in the light of the suicide of Hannah Smith, a fourteen year old girl who was the target of relentless online bullying through the site. **
This topic has always struck a chord with me. As someone who uses social media as much as I do I'm aware of the darker side that it carries. I've fallen prey to pro ana websites during the early months of my first relapse aged fifteen, had private online journals discovered and published around my school and most importantly experienced the same relentless cyber bullying both anonymous and named on multiple platforms, including my original ask fm.
I understand how horrendous it can be to open you inbox and have a stream of messages tearing you apart. I've had my YouTube videos and blog entries posted around my school resulting in everyone knowing details of my abuse, eating disorder and treatment and then using that as ammunition in their ask fm comments.
There is an extremely negative side to social media and especially the option of anonymity.
However in light of tragic suicides such as these we seem to forget that these people, the ones like me who are/were targeted by these bullies choose to keep revisiting our accounts. We choose to answer questions and keep blogging. We choose not to shut down the accounts and walk away. For me I kept my accounts open because there was a balance of positivity and support and my blog was my space to vent and it had been for years.
Buy even so that was a choice I was making, to continue to give the bullies a space to target me. That isn't the fault of any moderators. That was my choice.
Now there's another wave of calls for such sites to be closed down. Only a few months ago tumblr, Instagram and Pinterest changed their policies and started to shut down accounts their moderators viewed as dangerous. Blogs about eating disorders, self harm and mental illness have been closed because of triggering content. Some of course I agree with, the pro ana community is dangerous and ever growing, however I know more than one girl who (to my knowledge was far from pro ana) have their blog shut down because of triggering content, their blog that was their personal space to vent their emotions and struggled in an honest and open way and find support in over coming them.
Clamping down on social media is cutting channels for those who are seeking support. Closing blogs because of triggering content is fine if the content is posted with the intention to trigger. But lets be honest, for an anorexic, an honest post about weight, numbers or goals will be triggering. That doesn't mean the owner of that blog doesn't deserve to have that space to vent and find support.
More recently I've opened a new ask fm. It's there to support people. I answer questions about my own health and journey and try to give advice to others in a positive and healthy way. I do the same on tumblr (although less regularly now I have my ask fm). The option to remain anonymous when you're reaching out for support is important. I know personally if I had to publish my name if I were reaching out it would put me off.
As damaging as anonymity has the potential to be, the positives of that option, in my opinion far outstrip the negatives.
It is the minority to intentionally trigger and bully others behind the veil of anonymity.
Raising proper awareness of the dangers of these sites and communities. Opening support groups for people who have been targeted and encouraging people to speak out about their experiences are are far more logical and realistic way to try to combat cyber bullying.
*http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-23584769
