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rynlingWhen Libs of TikTok tweets, threats increasingly follow
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/11/02/libs-of-tiktok-tweets-death-bomb-threats/71409213007/
As Libs of TikTok’s reach has expanded [...] so, too, has the frequency and ferocity of the threats that follow Raichik’s posts. Hospitals have been evacuated; schools and libraries have cleared classrooms and canceled lessons while police officers search for bombs. Bookstores, Pride parades, cafes, even a dog rescue center, have had to lock down for fear of reprisals – and violence.
Something I find very cruel about the attitude of the "why don't you just block the haters" crowd is their refusal to acknowledge just how intense online harassment can be, as well as how it's almost always directed at people in vulnerable positions. It's good to see that someone has put the work into researching exactly what this entails.
Also:
Asked for her reaction to the established pattern of harassment that follows her tweets, Raichik has a simple – and standard – response: She’s merely reposting what institutions and individuals have already, themselves, chosen to put out to the world on social media, she says. “If an individual posts publicly on TikTok, the goal of TikTok is to get views,” Raichik said. “That's why people post on TikTok – they want to become famous, they want clicks, views.”
When I've tried to talk to people about online harassment, that's exactly what they've said to me, almost word for word: If you exist online in any capacity, then you've made a choice to open yourself to harassment.
And also:
The research most likely undercounts the total number of cases. Other threats may never be reported to police or the media, and some targets are reluctant to publicize their plight for fear of drawing even more harassment.
For real. This is definitely part of it too.
Not much to say here, except to emphasize that this sort of harassment is awful at any scale. Even one person calling you a pedophile or telling you to kill yourself or linking you to a video of someone screaming for help while being beaten can be traumatic. Online harassment always sucks all the time, and I'm happy that people are finally starting to acknowledge this.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/11/02/libs-of-tiktok-tweets-death-bomb-threats/71409213007/
As Libs of TikTok’s reach has expanded [...] so, too, has the frequency and ferocity of the threats that follow Raichik’s posts. Hospitals have been evacuated; schools and libraries have cleared classrooms and canceled lessons while police officers search for bombs. Bookstores, Pride parades, cafes, even a dog rescue center, have had to lock down for fear of reprisals – and violence.
Something I find very cruel about the attitude of the "why don't you just block the haters" crowd is their refusal to acknowledge just how intense online harassment can be, as well as how it's almost always directed at people in vulnerable positions. It's good to see that someone has put the work into researching exactly what this entails.
Also:
Asked for her reaction to the established pattern of harassment that follows her tweets, Raichik has a simple – and standard – response: She’s merely reposting what institutions and individuals have already, themselves, chosen to put out to the world on social media, she says. “If an individual posts publicly on TikTok, the goal of TikTok is to get views,” Raichik said. “That's why people post on TikTok – they want to become famous, they want clicks, views.”
When I've tried to talk to people about online harassment, that's exactly what they've said to me, almost word for word: If you exist online in any capacity, then you've made a choice to open yourself to harassment.
And also:
The research most likely undercounts the total number of cases. Other threats may never be reported to police or the media, and some targets are reluctant to publicize their plight for fear of drawing even more harassment.
For real. This is definitely part of it too.
Not much to say here, except to emphasize that this sort of harassment is awful at any scale. Even one person calling you a pedophile or telling you to kill yourself or linking you to a video of someone screaming for help while being beaten can be traumatic. Online harassment always sucks all the time, and I'm happy that people are finally starting to acknowledge this.
