Don't Allow Yourself to be an Accomplice to Cyberbullying

We often don't realise the magnitude of our actions and words online until they are too late.

Recently I saw an Instagram post by a friend of mine, talking about this Instagram account, @sgbasicbitch.

Username has been blurred out for confidentiality.

Update: The account (@sgbasicbitch) has been taken down as of 28th September.

As a typical Singaporean, I was curious to find out more about this account and so I clicked on it. The owner of this account basically posts pictures of Singaporean bloggers and publicly shames them. What I find particularly ridiculous is the fact that people are commenting on how they love the posts and find it hilarious.

I have no idea when cyberbullying became socially acceptable or even funny but there should never be a reason to partake in it. 

What people don't see is that these public figures are humans too. Maybe this hit slightly close to home that's why I decided to write this blog post. I am no blogger or social media influencer, but I know how it feels like to be picked on for your flaws. Hate is bound to happen when you're under the watch of so many people, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE THE HATE JUSTIFIABLE. Just because your job requires you to put yourself out there in front of everyone doesn't mean you don't have feelings. Because things like that hurt, and they hurt a lot more than we think.

Everybody makes mistakes, famous people included. So this post isn't about defending people with a large following because just like every single one of us, they falter from time to time too. This post is about just understanding that humour doesn't have to come at the expense of someone else's feelings. That just because someone is famous, doesn't make them any less susceptible to the traumatic effects of bullying.

You can dislike someone but there is absolutely no reason to be disrespectful. Not even in the name of humour. Because when things like that leave a scar, they stay. I don't expect you to like everyone you see online, but I certainly do not agree to being mean and hateful.

We often land ourselves in the role of an accomplice to cyberbullying without even knowing. By liking these posts or sharing them just for the laughs, we are not only feeding to the negativity that has been established, we are also  giving bullying a big thumbs up. We are allowing bullies to get their way and we are hurting someone somewhere. 

So please, don't let someone out there feel the pain of being ostracised — online or offline. Because if those tables turn, that person could just be your sibling, your best friend, your child or even you yourself. There are better ways to correct someone's mistakes than to single them out and humiliate them. Spare a thought.


Be nice if not be respectful at the very least.