Video Transcription

When is it ok to abuse someone online?

Hi, I’m Lucy Thomas. I’m one of the co-founders of Project Rocket, an organization that tackles cyberbullying, hate, and prejudice by empowering young people to stand up and lead change.

When it comes to social media, a lot of people feel like they can say stuff to other people that’s super harsh, way too humiliating, or that they simply just wouldn’t have the guts to say to another person’s face. But are there times when it’s actually okay to be horrible to someone else online?

You know, it could be said that some people kind of set themselves up for it. You know, the people who post overly dramatic status updates, flaunt arrogant photos of themselves, or literally ask for your opinion. And what about people that have actually upset you offline? Maybe they’ve done something to offend you personally or they’ve broken your heart. Do those people deserve to be publicly called a lesson?

And then, let’s face it, sometimes we stumble across things online that are so stupid it’s really hard not to form a negative judgment. “Hello world, this is me, love could be fun for everyone.”

The thing is, I’ve heard people say that they reckon it’s okay to hate on someone offline if they really deserve it. But I reckon that’s a real cop-out, because no one deserves to be abused online or offline. Someone upsetting you offline never justifies giving them hell on Facebook, because relationships are way more complicated than that.

But you know what? Why should I argue that point when Destiny’s Child put it so much better than I ever could?

Better than that, and the way I see it, the best way to deal with attention seekers online is to just ignore them. I mean, how awkward is that? Someone posts something that’s screaming out for attention, and they get nothing. Not a single like, no comments, no retweets. It’s kind of like the digital equivalent of tumbleweed and cricket noises.

But seriously, I just performed this Saddle Club theme song while counting myself really badly on the ukulele. I pretty much served myself up for your judgment just so that I could make this point.

At the end of the day, by leaving people to do their thing and be who they are, you get to be you in return—not some hater who wastes their energy making life difficult for others. It seems pretty simple to me.

Video by Project Rockit