What drives online bullying?

more and more the opportunity for online bullying.

Bully wants to look slick to their peers. They could be commanded to do it as a rite of passage or to advance their level within the gang hierarchy and more 'street cred

A few years ago the same gang could have been active on YouTube pressing the dislike button on a user's videos YouTube hid the dislike count

Dead right. I was trying to track down an interview with a "professional troll" as he called himself from a few years ago but I couldn't find it. Basically he was a 30 something guy with a family working in insurance or some industry like that who spent his evenings in his home office literally trolling. He'd find familles with sick kids or teenagers struggling with bullying issues and just go to town on them with really sick stuff. When asked why? he said it was his "hobby" to relax. His pals went to the pub after work so he went home had dinner with family then locked himself away daily in his home office. It was his relaxing time he said. Some real sickos out there.

It's probably worse online than in real life as some are brave behind their computers. Bullying, trying to drag others down, enjoying the misery of others are all things you see. Just look at this forum for a clear example. Attempts at bullying is common place. A few moderators are clear bullies even. I think for online bullying, the narrative about bullies having something lacking in their lives is true. Sad individuals.

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I'm not sure what you mean?

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Is the Bambie person being bullied though ?

People might just not like her. I don’t like her, I think she’s a dose. She has gone someway to prove me right by post Eurovision just slating the fûck out of the organisers, other performers etc.

You can dislike an artist, musician or songwriter be critical of them….. doesn’t make it bullying.

Bullying : The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online. That’s according to the Anti-Bullying Alliance.

Being hyper critical in one’s assessment of a performer is in no way bullying. What next, music publications who review records, performances etc to be cancelled ?

People have to expect that in a free and fair society people should be of the ability to express an opinion, if an opinion contains criticism, so be it, of a person, group of people so be it.

I'm just not sure what you are talking about. You haven't explained your perception so I don't know if it's different than mine.

It is very clear that three main things drive it …..

1 …. the internet is too free …. people can say anything they like and get away with it ….

2 …. very poor example shown by celebs and world leaders ….. Donald Trump's carry on in particular has normalised online bullying ….

3 …. people with nothing better in their lives …..

Just to follow up on that.

You just dont like Bambie - that's fine. What is not fine is to call her a dose. That's not being critical of the music or lack of (if that's the way you feel), that's being personal and the type of comments not needed but people feel ok to fire off with no consequence.

We had a post on a local politics thread here over the weekend with a poster of a young male candidate and "needs his hard drive checked" ( a dog whistle for child sexual Abuse) . The post was deleted eventually.

Utterly obnoxious posting.

any lack of accountability or consequences.

Meh, I've no time for (anti)social media anymore. Keyboard warriors who would crap the bed of they ever faced those who they so happily abuse. They live their sad and petty life fishing for likes and attention. The irony is that one day, they'll confuse online with real life, and it will be a lesson they won't forget.

Never become a target of any sort of group/crowd/mob. The worst cowardly bags of sht in this life hide in the annonymity and chaos of little gangs, and attack and smear from the safety of numbers.

Anywhere a like minded mob can build up unimpeded they will always start to bully those who they consider their targets. Online there is nothing to stop this mob. You see it everywhere on line.

Young people bullying old people.

Different genders bullying other genders.

Cyclists bullying motorists and vice versa.

Eco warriors bullying normal people living their lives.

Political supporters bullying others.

Private sector and public sector.

Its everywhere. Mob gets together and reinforces their own narrow views and then squeezes out any iota of sense that might ever come over them if they werent egged on by each other.

The power difference is the group mindset. And in the case of Bambi, these comments like freak show, dose etc are because someone is different and viewed as not an equal and ok to pile on.

The same thing as not using a persons pronoun. A lack of respect.

It doesn't really take a huge amount for such behavior to move into the territory of bullying. I've seen a group of posters fixate on a particular user and just personally attack them whenever they post in a thread, it would very much so be a form of bullying.

Kinda reminds me of the 'Black people can't be racist' line...