As bloggers, we pour our hearts and souls into creating content that resonates with readers. But unfortunately, the online world can also be a breeding ground for cyberbullying. Trolls hiding behind anonymous usernames are quick to spread hate and negativity, leaving us vulnerable to attacks on our personal lives and professional reputations. Make sure you protect yourself from cyberbullies by taking control of your online presence.
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying can include sending mean messages or images, making threats, spreading rumors or excluding someone from an online group on purpose. It can occur in many different forms, such as texting, emailing, and posting on social media sites, gaming websites and apps. It has become increasingly prevalent in recent years and can be devastating for the victim, causing them to feel isolated, anxious, and even suicidal.
The most common types of cyberbullies include:
- Sending mean or threatening messages through email, social media, or text.
- Creating a fake online profile or website to embarrass or hurt someone.
- Posting private or sensitive information about someone without their permission.
- Posing as someone else online to trick someone into revealing personal information.
- Repeatedly sending unwanted or harassing messages.
What’s The Difference Between Trolls And Cyberbullies?
The difference between trolls and cyberbullies often depends on how you see them. If you think someone’s unethical behavior is a nuisance to the online community as a whole so you need to get rid of them, that someone may be a troll. Whereas if you’ve been victimized by someone - if you feel you’ve been emotionally harmed - that person may be a cyberbully.
"Trolls"
Trolls provoke and inflame others in online communities, often by posting off-topic, controversial, or provocative messages or comments. They intend to elicit emotional responses from others for their own amusement or to disrupt online discussions. Trolls may not necessarily have a personal vendetta against anyone in particular, and their behavior can range from mildly annoying to extremely disruptive.
"Cyberbullies"
On the other hand, cyberbullies deliberately harass and intimidate others online to cause emotional harm. Cyberbullies often target individuals they know or have had personal conflicts with, and their behavior can have serious consequences for their victims' mental health and well-being.
To summarize, trolls typically aim to disrupt online communities for their own amusement, while cyberbullies intentionally harm and intimidate others for personal reasons. Regardless of the cause, those who suffer are not at fault, but those who attack - they are the crazy ones. So there are ways to protect ourselves from them, although we cannot eliminate them 100%. And we can take action against them if we believe we suffer because of them.
Are Bloggers at Risk for Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying can happen to anyone who uses the internet, including bloggers who share their thoughts and ideas online. In fact, bloggers can be particularly vulnerable to cyberbullying because they are often sharing their opinions on controversial topics, which can attract negative comments and harassment from online trolls.
Obviously, bloggers who particularly cover sensitive topics such as politics, religion, or social issues may also be at risk for cyberbullying. But also bloggers who promote weight loss, relationships, and wealth can often be subject to maliciously negative comments from trolls. These comments are essentially cyberbullying; they may be hurtful or demeaning in nature, attacking the blogger's physical appearance, life choices, or beliefs, for example;
- "You are too overweight to be entitled to blog about weight loss."
- "You are just bragging about your money."
- "You blog about a successful relationship, but your partner is ugly." etc.
(Aren't they ridiculous? They are losers with full of hatred, after all!)
Other groups of bloggers who may be at risk for cyberbullying include those with mental health conditions, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people who have been victims of offline bullying.
How to Protect Yourself from Cyberbullying
Cyberbullies want to find a way to make you feel small. They look for vulnerable characteristics in people and prey on those weaknesses. So not being too negative in your blog posts is one good way. Be positive and you'll show others - including bullies - that their words cannot affect your confidence or belief in yourself. Focus on building good relationships with your readers who will support your work.
Be Proud of Your Blog Content
Writing your own blog is an incredibly empowering and liberating experience. You have the opportunity to make your thoughts and feelings known, without fear of judgement or criticism from others. You take ownership of your blog so you can remain confident in knowing that it's yours alone, and no one else can taint it by bullying you for expressing yourself honestly.
Be proud of what you write - regardless of how many people may read it - as a reflection of who you are as an individual. Not only will this increase your self-confidence, but also give vigor to writing something even more meaningful next time.
Keep Your Personal Information To Yourself
Whenever you share information online, be mindful of what you are doing. Don’t share any of your personal data, such as your postal address or phone number. Use a secure online form (you can install it on your site by using a plugin if you don’t have it) instead of sharing your email address.
Because trolls may spread it online in an effort to embarrass or harm you. To protect yourself from being targeted by trolls, do not share any of your personal information not only on your website or social media but don't send it to anyone who asks via email.
What To Do If You Become a Victim of Cyberbullying
Here are a few things you can do if you receive disturbing messages from trolls.
Don't Engage with Them
Secondly, this is the golden rule. Ignore trolls. If someone is sending you abusive messages, don't respond. Not a single word because it will only fuel their fire. Bullies enjoy watching you react, no matter what you say.
Block Comments
Make sure that your comment section is properly moderated, and that all comments are approved by you before they are displayed. This ensures that any inappropriate or offensive content is kept off of your site, as well as eliminating the risk of cyberbullies as well as spam or malicious code being posted.
Block and Report
If you receive bullying comments on social media, don't waste a second, but just block them immediately. Most social media platforms have tools that allow you to block and report users who are bullying you. As a blogger, you want to maintain the integrity of your brand by avoiding arguments that could lead to reputation damage. So this will help to keep them off your account and make it easier to avoid them.
This is also to ensure that your followers don't get involved in any unnecessary commotions or confrontations so they remain engaged with the content you post without feeling unsafe or uncomfortable.
Speak Out
Stand up for yourself and don't be afraid to tell people what's going on. But again, never communicate with the bullies directly.
When you become a victim of cyberbullying, yes, of course it is a hurtful experience. But it presents an opportunity for your voice to be heard. Speak out against it and share your story, and you can help raise awareness about this issue and hopefully inspire others who might also be struggling with similar experiences. You have an important role in helping to make the world a safer place for everyone.
We will always rise above any bully’s attempts to bring us down. No matter how hard a bully tries they will never win if you have the strength of character and stand your ground - no one has the power to beat you or anyone else!
Keep Evidence
If you are being harassed online, keep screenshots or copies of the messages as evidence. You'll need them when you decide to report the bully to authorities or take legal action against them.
Keep Your Online Presence Safe: How To Protect Yourself from Cyberbullying as a Blogger
It is unfortunate that bullying and harassment have become all too common occurrences in the online world. No one should ever be subjected to such abuse, yet many people find themselves dealing with it so often.
Have you ever been bullied or harassed online? If so, has the experience painful and traumatic? I too was once targeted by someone who spread hateful rumors about me in an effort to damage my reputation and hurt my feelings. But I take no nonsense - I am proudly able to stand up for myself, but not everyone is so lucky. Everyone deserves the right to feel safe in their digital life without fear of being attacked or abused by someone else's words or actions.
Together we can help put a stop to this type of behavior and create a better world where everyone feels respected and valued regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, religion, or any other aspect that makes us unique individuals.
