Social Media: The New Pandemic

ecently Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook stated that he would be setting aside funding to help with issues arising from cyberbullying. What alot of people were quick to point out was that the most poignant part of this gesture was to remedy the cyberbullying that he created through his company, Facebook.

How terribly wrong they are.

Facebook, despite being one of the most popular social platforms was by no means the first. It was merely capitalisation upon a pre-existing concept. To blame Mr Zuckerberg for the cyberbullying pandemic that we are facing is similar to blaming Colonel Sanders for an overcooked piece of chicken from KFC. The finger pointing needs to stop.

Cyberbullying is so bad nowadays that we even have dedicated hashtags devoted to it on social media. Awareness is good, but the solution is uncertain. Cyberbullying stems from the convenience of anonymity that the internet allows us to have. It also stems from the fact that we are open to a much bigger audience that we cannot control or filter. Our life is being played out in front of people who we would not typically associate in the physical world.

The cause and solution of cyberbullying is far too complex, and those who are pointing the blame of social media to those who set up these sites need to understand that it isn’t their fault. It is unfortunately the fault of a society that has become accustomed to practices that incubate cyberbullies and protect them.

At a personal level – I am sure Mr Zuckerberg is far too busy to be trolling the internet anyway.