
[Image of troll dolls] Not these cute ones, but I’d rather use a photo of some cute dolls than anything more on topic.
After that I kept checking back on the hashtags. They were still being overrun by these hateful messages from troll accounts that instagram keeps around despite the fact that they are very open about their sole intent being spreading hate, bullying, and harassment.
It really suck being reminded that there are people out there who even though they’ve never met you, straight up hate you because of some characteristic that has no impact on them. To be reminded that these people see you as less than human.
But despite that negativity I noticed a few things,
(in no real order)
- All these hateful images and messages were coming from just a handful of accounts. They were overtaking the hashtags but not due to numbers, there were far more people using the hashtags as they were intended with the occasional real photo shared here and there.
- The only reason these trolls were able to seem to dominate the hashtag despite being far outnumbered is because they posted constantly. What sad lives to spend so much time posting hate through a troll account.
- The troll accounts were just that- no name of the person behind it, no photos of who they really are, none of the normal instagram photos normal accounts have- selfies, stuff they do, friends, family, nature, their city, whatever else. There is none of that because people who spend so much of their time online hating and harassing other people do not want actually want that hate, that bullying, associated with who they really are. At the end of the day, they know they are wrong and that their behavior is unacceptable. So they hide. My instagram is on the side of this blog filled with selfies and pictures of my boring everyday life. That’s because I am not ashamed of anything I say here or there. I don’t need to hide who is behind these words.
And at the end of the day, despite all that hate, these are my take home points from this. As disgusting as these trolls are, they are a small group of people. They do not represent they views of most people. They are a few sad, pathetic people hiding behind the anonymity of their computer screen, in fear of their real identity ever being outed, because they know most people would not condone their hate and bullying behaviors.
I just want to encourage others to remember this, and don’t let a small group of hateful people bring you down.
I just am amazed at how much effort individuals put into trolling. I can’t imagine having a life where that is a priority. It seems to point to a purposeless existence.
I agree.
#preach girl. The amount of body negativity on Instagram really worries me. Even on the other side of the spectrum, there’s pro-anorexia accounts that have all these young girls posting about how they hate their bodies and thinspo. I think Instagram should focus not on removing photos of nipples and breastfeeding and instead target these accounts that are trolling and spreading harmful messages!
How can we get this movement going? Let’s start it up!
Definitely some questionable choices in what they target.
You are absolutely right. These people are losers with no lives. Can you imagine how much time and effort they dedicate to this nonsense? Get a hobby!
Thanks for your awesome blog! I always enjoy what you have to say!
thank you 🙂
You are absolutely right! These people are losers with no lives. I can’t imagine the amount of time and effort they must dedicate to these pursuits. Get a hobby!
Thanks for your awesome blog. I always enjoy what you have to say!
I’ve noticed the same thing on Twitter recently with similar hashtags. And they all relate back to the #fatpeople hat tag as well.