Why We All Must Be Vigilant When It Comes to Online Radicalization
It can happen to anyone…
I opened an account on TikTok in early 2022. I like to call this period of my life the Playing Russian Roulette with My Mental Health chapter.
I knew I would get hate comments — that’s a given on any platform. But I didn’t realize how bad it would be. I thought I only had to worry about the dudes who have gotten sucked into the manosphere — or even just men, in general.
I didn’t realize that absolutely every demographic is always poised to rise up and communally trash anyone who isn’t perfectly in step with their perspectives and values.
I weathered multiple waves of hate that left me suicidal and depressed, and took frequent breaks to try to pull myself back up — particularly after my father went into hospice earlier this year. After a few months of living through such very clarifying circumstances, I became more active on TikTok again, certain none of the hate and other nonsense could tip me over. It’s social media, for god’s sake, and it felt inconsequential compared to the experience of watching my father slowly die in a small, poorly lit nursing home room.
Unfortunately, I was wrong. And I hope I will never make that mistake again. Sure, death puts things into perspective, but we…
