For my semester project, I created a Tumblr blog on which I highlight the many instances of which women are degraded, violated and attacked on various social media outlets. I decided to keep the women and commenters anonymous for the safety of both parties and also to emphasize that anyone could be a victim/participator in these internet attacks. After posting images of these common occurrences to my blog, I added my own caption to explain why these comments are both hurtful and dangerous. The research I came across shows that women and girls are much more affected and influenced by the way they feel about themselves as told by others, and I believe that online interactions are a contemporary dilemma directly linked to self-satisfaction.
All posts on the blog are followed by the hashtag #cybersolidarity in hopes of creating a new trend that will reduce, or hopefully eliminate, the existing one. Readers of the blog are also encouraged to use the hashtag on all forms on social media whenever they come across a malicious comment. While I highlight how impactful negative experiences on the internet can be, I believe that positive statements are way more powerful. In our digital age, almost anyone can take part in this movement and that is why I'm suggesting that those who come across the blog start a movement that educates vicious commenters about why what they say on the internet can be so hurtful. If the internet is going to be one of our most prevalent forms of communication, we must learn to respect one another on it and not take advantage of the protection of spewing negativity from behind a screen.
LINK TO MY TUMBLR: www.the-social-mediator.tumblr.com/
References & Inspiration
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