Cyberbullying is a relatively new form of hate. The first known official use of the term was in 1998 when it was included in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary with the definition: “the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person (such as a student) often done anonymously.” The definition has continued to evolve since then and is broken down into the following 6 categories by the eSafety Commissioner:
- Sending hurtful messages to someone
- Sharing embarrassing photos or videos of someone
- Spreading nasty online gossip about someone
- Ostracising someone online
- Creating fake accounts under someone else’s name
- Leading someone to believe that you are someone else
With the dawn of the social media age and the ease of anonymously posting things to the Internet, cyberbullying became prevalent almost immediately. A study conducted by The University of New Hampshire in 2000 (4 years before the launch of Facebook) showed that around 6% of 10-17-year-olds had experienced cyberbullying.
A similar survey conducted in 2004 saw the statistic of cyberbullying rise to 42% of young people. The Australian statistic was recorded as 44% as of 2020. As the internet, social media and instant messaging become more readily accessible with the advent of smartphones, cyberbullying reaches younger victims.
YouTube is a prime example of this. The majority of YouTube content creators have found that responses to their videos invariably contain cyberbullying to the point that the unwritten motto of many YouTube content creators has become “Just don’t read the comments”.
In 2019 YouTube reworked its harassment policies. A blog post by YouTube Vice President Matt Halprin about this revealed that the new policy had seen 16 million comments removed for breach of policy over a 3-month period. Additionally, a tool that allows creators to review potentially toxic comments before they become public resulted in a 75% drop in users reporting comments.
Despite these commendable efforts cyberbullying remains a problem on YouTube. Cyberbullying affects all categories and genres of videos equally.
In June 2024, Meghan Trainor released a single with accompanying music video. Within days of its release on YouTube, this comment was posted stating that Meghan did not look beautiful but old.
Action Bronson Also released a song in June 2024. Many people disliked the track with comments on the YouTube video divided between supporters and detractors. Not content with stating dislike, some commenters felt it necessary to include hurtful statements about Bronson’s skills as an artist, one labelling his efforts as weak and another saying he had taken the beat for his song from a bin.
Dr Mike is a medical doctor who is quite active on social media. He posted a YouTube video detailing an interaction with a doctor on TikTok called Dr Charles, over a disagreement regarding medications that Dr Charles said all men should take. The disagreement culminated with Dr Charles blocking Dr Mike and several other people who disagreed with him in comments on his video. In the comments on Dr Mike’s video, many people voiced their displeasure with Dr Charles. Name-calling and insults ensued.
The original Dr Charles video is no longer online, and he has since made a video admitting he was wrong.
On 30 March 2007, episode 2 of the 12th season of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross aired. During the show, John Travolta was interviewed. As part of that interview, he was asked a few questions regarding Scientology, a religion founded in 1952 by American author L. Ron Hubbard. In August of 2023, the show’s official YouTube channel posted the interview video. Scientology is widely regarded as a cult or a scam, and the video’s comments reflect that view. This commenter used the opportunity to rant about Travolta’s beliefs and suggest that he, and others of similar beliefs, should be sterilised.
On 21 November 2021, Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. drove an SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S.A. killing 6 people and injuring more than 40 others. Brooks was later tried and found guilty of 76 charges of a variety of crimes. During the trial, Brooks elected to represent himself. It was reported that his demeanour was aggressive throughout the trial including a stare-down with the judge which was posted as a YouTube short in February of 2024. The comments in general on this short mock and belittle Brooks.
In this case, many justify their hateful remarks due to their perceived moral superiority.
Conclusion
Cyberbullying is particularly difficult to combat as there are no specific terms that can be generally applied to find it. Because of this, it must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis as reported by those who see it. The problem with this is that the damage is already done. Until methods are found to prevent cyberbullying before it is posted, efforts must be concentrated on improving reaction and processing time to remove content and reduce its spread and influence.