so not ready for work :( it's too early for this
Coming Across a Selfie
CommentsPenguinLover said: omg so pretty!happy2behere said: BEAUTIFUL!!!
good morning everyone! I felt good this morning so I decided to take a selfie to share with you all!
AmberLovesMakeup
Creating a Fake, Anonymous Account
Amber doesn't deserve all of this positive attention. She needs someone to put her in her place.
Maybe I should make a new account that she won't recognize as me and give her what she deserves.
Ivy, a 14-year-old high school student, is scrolling through her social media timeline, as she does every morning. People are posting about their morning through text, and some through pictures.
Creating Anonymous Account and Leaving Very Hurtful Comments
TheIcedCoffeeLover said: this pic is really ugly...........TheIcedCoffeeLover said: everyone is actually lying to you whenthey call you pretty :) you're actually hideousTheIcedCoffeeLover said: you should probably just delete your accountTheIcedCoffeeLover said: or just die. we'd all be better off
Ivy comes across her classmate, Amber's selfie, and she notices that people are commenting on the picture (mediated interaction), complimenting Amber. However, Ivy does not get this kind of attention and she is tired of seeing other people getting it and thinking they're "all that".
Amber's Point of View
How could someone say this to me? Who was that?
What if they're right? Am I ugly? Is everyone lying to me?
The ability to remain anonymous online gives some people the motivation to bully others through this type of interaction, since they are not associated with their hurtful words. In other words, they lack empathy for the person on the other end of the interaction.
No Consequences
Ivy made an anonymous account under a name that could be anyone and left extremely hurtful comments, especially considering they were sent to an impressionable teenager such as Amber. Because Ivy cannot see Amber's reaction, and because Amber does not know it is her, Ivy does not feel guilty.
As most other young people would be, Amber is devastated. She has never received comments like this and she does not know how to deal with them. She is extremely upset, and Ivy has no idea, and does not even care, because she does not know Amber's reaction.
Would everyone be better off without me?
All because of her jealousy, Ivy has ruined the morning, and possibly the self-image of an innocent girl, while she sits casually on the couch and watches TV. She likely would never have made these comments to Amber's face, or under her real, personal account name. Anonymity and the lack of Amber's reaction has made it possible for Ivy to do this without feeling any empathy.