Mental dangers

Some say Internet communication is just images and copies and words, no people. Gorgeous. That’s how they justify Internet cruelty. For years I met so much bullying on chess sites and dating sites. It made me disgusted and hurt. People lashed out at me for no reasons. They just wanted to pour out their anger or frustration with life. Seems like we lose the sense of responsibility and decency when we come to the Internet. Some people come online only to mock or abuse others. As if everyone we meet here are spam bots. We might be surrounded by virtual reality, but people there are real. And words hurt. Sometimes I was so hurt, I was frightened someone would do me harm irl, I was suicidal, I had high blood pressure and headache. I was angry too. Such things usually go unpunished, even if people arouse hatred. They think if you don’t cut yourself, they’re behaving alright. Strength is never welcomed. Just to stare at the wall in pain isn’t enough. I’m not sure whether I’m being extra-sensitive or is it a usual way and I’m not the only one who suffers. Not sure, might be, there’re actually quite a lot of vulnerable people who take things seriously and get offended, angry or suicidal. This problem can’t be solved without empathy. Those “images” on the screen are real people…