‘Keyboard confidence’ is a term used for people who sit behind a screen and say things that they would never actually have the courage to say to anyone in person with little or no consequences. Social media acts a beast feeding off these negative comments and trolls. What we on our end can do is choose our response selectively and wisely for we cannot change people’s behaviour. Here are a few ways by which one can get through the online hate!
1) Distinguish constructive criticism and destructive criticism
Do not be quick to dissolve all the comments as hate and instead try to understand if the person is disagreeing with your opinion or simply writing hateful comments. The latter is the group with issues that you definitely do not want to deal with. This type of group spews hate for hate without any regard. Filter your comments and don’t invest your time or energy dealing with negative criticism.
2) Don’t take the hate personally
Most of the hate would not even exist if the conversation were taking place one-on-one with a real live human. Social media dehumanises interactions as people are talking to screens and not with each other. This makes it easy for online conversations to quickly turn into a battleground. Remember that the hatred is directed towards the screens and not particularly you.
3) Take action gracefully
Do not coil yourself up in the bed with self-pity or doubt. Try putting forth your own rationale not to change their views but to remind them and yourself that as an individual you have the power to have different opinions. These bullies often shut down their hate once they are called out for their words. Most of the time these bullies are decent people in real life but use anonymity to flex some muscles. If reason fails and they continue being bullies, remember the second point we discussed.
4) Weed out the responses
If you do not wish to engage directly, you can decide which comments you want to be seen with your content and delete the ones you do not like. Most people do not understand the importance of maintaining social media ethics and by removing negative responses specially the ones inciting hate you are making your profile a safe space for everyone. You can also turn off commenting. People wishing to share their views about your content can choose another platform for it.
5) If all else fails: block
Yes, you heard us right! Social media is supposed to be a safe place for anyone to express their views and not for making people feel violated. If you feel that, someone is affecting your mental health negatively or being abusive don’t think twice before hitting that block button. Remember sitting behind screens provides people with power they do not necessarily understand how to use and it is not always your responsibility to weed out all the bad plants.
6) Reach out for support if you are harassed online
Do not try to deal with it all alone. Share what you are feeling with your family and friends. By talking to people, you might be able to find validation for what you are feeling and get new perspectives or solutions.
Monal Joshi
I am currently in my final year of graduation in history and planning to pursue my career in social work and human rights