…While so-called cyber bullying happens everywhere, China’s collectivist culture and the lack of pressure on social media companies to stamp out abuse lend the phenomenon a particular momentum. A poll of more than 2,000 social media users in China found that about four in 10 respondents have experienced some form of online abuse. It also found that 16% of the victims had suicidal thoughts. Almost half experienced anxiety, 42% insomnia, and 32% depression.
…While online vitriol is not always politically charged, the Chinese government “tolerates a specific type of cyberbullying” by right-wing nationalists, says Fang Kecheng, a journalism professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“It has been very difficult for victims to seek legal protection and redress,” assistant professor Fang says. “There has been very few cases in which the offenders and the platforms are punished.”
This is partly because bullying online is not prioritised as a problem by social media companies or Beijing, which instead runs an extensive censorship machine to stifle dissent or any form of a political conversation…
Full article: https://bbc.in/3npnymn (BBC News)
3943 7680
2603 5007
com@cuhk.edu.hk
