Anonymity on the Internet

Ashley and Christopher

Resilience is about bouncing back. It's also about not letting things tear you down. Unfortunately, tearing others down seems to have become something of a sport lately, especially on so called "social" media. People hide behind the partial anonymity of their avatars and attack people they don't know in the real world. I saw this story about a young couple who posted a cute and funny photo of themselves after she caught the bouquet at a wedding. Instead of just enjoying her happy face and his mock-panic, some people chose to make fun of his appearance and question her choice of boyfriend. Seriously?

As the song says "haters gonna hate."* But what's the point in this case? Or in so many similar examples happening every day. Does picking on someone on the Internet make these mean people feel better about themselves? I suspect it just gets them some laughs from their friends.

The young woman in the picture responded brilliantly, though, with good humor and forgiveness. That's the resilient response.

If someone attacks you anonymously, it's less about you than it is about them. So, Shake it Off!*

And if you feel like attacking someone else this way, think twice, please. Not only would you not want someone to do it to you (or your partner or your child or your best friend), you never know how much damage you might do to a fragile soul.

On the other hand, your kind words or actions, shared anonymously or not, can make someone else's day or heal this kind of damage from some mean person. Being a positive voice in the social media world can help build a stronger, more resilient community. Give it a try today!


Read the couple's story - click here.

*And if you want to hear Taylor sing it, click here.