Rebecca Black and the Online Hate and Bullying Trend
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011
by Andy Thomas
BigAngryDog.BlogSpot.com
Rebecca Black's pop video "Friday" is not something that would normally form part of my online consumption. It came onto my radar screen courtesy of the mainstream press who were reporting on, what can only be described as, an inexplicable tirade of hatred directed at a fun loving 13 year old girl who loves to sing.
The song itself is a fun, upbeat and a rather charming affair really. The lyrics are not quite as deep as, say, Bohemian Rhapsody, but who cares? They are, at least, refreshingly honest in their simplicity. She can sing quite well and I would certainly prefer to listen to her than any of the drug-trance din and boring boy-band ballads pumped out by the major music companies over the last 20 years.
It's harmless fun and, at the time of writing, the video has had almost 40 million hits. Unfortunately the overwhelming theme of the comments posted in response is one of pure hatred. I find it inexplicable, and the sheer volume of them is utterly shocking. I also find it upsetting and the words to describe it fail me really.
I do want to say how much I admire Rebecca for not backing down and pulling video in the face of massive negative and vitriolic feedback. I understand that she was offered the opportunity to do so and refused.
Much of the abuse is in the form of vile personal attacks from people who have probably never achieved anything in life and probably never will. I have come to realize that, unfortunately, there are far too many people who get through life by pulling others down rather than lifting themselves up. I grew up in an myopic environment where ambition and achievement were things to be held up for ridicule and, in recent years, I find myself becoming angry when I encounter it. I guess that lashing out must make certain people feel better about how their lives are unlikely to comprise anything more TV soaps and going to the supermarket in their pyjamas.
This whole affair makes me question my own long-held beliefs about privacy and anonymity on the internet. For here I find myself wanting to see those attacking people like Rebecca in this way tracked down and outed (or worse).
But who should get to decide what's acceptable and what isn't, and who should remain anonymous and who should be exposed? And who will take responsibility for the consequences? Me? You? Google? Or some "independent" body run by big business and those with vested interests?
Certainly Google (aka YouTube) seem willing and able to protect the rights of copyright holders, but less so when it comes to protecting people like Rebecca or dealing with issues such as these. In any case, I can't help but feel that forcing YouTube or other websites to adopt some suitably strict code of censorship wouldn't address the real problem here.
There seems to be a growing trend for mindless rage and hate on the web. I read frequent reports of teenage suicides after being bullied online.
Were things always this bad? If not, what's going on?
Is it simply the case that the anonymity provided by the internet empowers childish people to lash out with impunity? Would these individuals be so able to offer the same abusive attacks if they had to confront their targets face-to-face? Or are we finally witnessing the effects of years of easy access to hardcore pornography on child surfers? Perhaps it's a combination of things, or something else altogether.
I don't know what's happening or why it's happening. The trend is insidious, but it's definitely there. I only know that I don't like it.
This Article has been viewed 176 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.