LETTERS: IN 2015, when Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook decided to roll out the new emoji reactions on its social network, it was meant to allow users to express themselves without the need to comment on a particular post.
While this feature might facilitate users to provide and receive feedback instantly, its unforeseen consequence, together with hateful comments, has turned out to be a terrible experience for some users.
Recently several news portals reported the suicide of a mother after receiving hateful comments on her social media account.
As humans, news like this should naturally make us feel sorry if not angry for what had happened to the deceased and her family.
However, what alarmed us was that a significant portion of users had clicked on the "laughing face" emoticon in response to the tragic news.
We will be more concerned to read some worrying comments by netizens, who apparently had problems empathising with people.
If this was done deliberately, it raises a serious concern regarding the safety and wellbeing of people online, especially our youngsters.
Look at the series of prank videos that cross our newsfeed. We are primed to laugh at the misfortunes of others.
Next, we feel moved to click on the "laugh" emoticon or post funny comments looking at the encouraging crowd doing the same.
This act is being justified under the premise of entertainment and subsequently our behaviour will be reinforced by the social media algorithm that feeds the hunger to troll online.
Trolling is an online antisocial behaviour characterised by the malicious and deliberate provocation of others. This can be done in the form of posting inflammatory or derogatory comments.
While there are subtle differences between trolling and cyberbullying, both pose harm to people whether it is done out of enjoyment or revenge.
A narcissistic trait that exists to variable degrees in most human beings may be augmented in cyberspace.
The presence of this trait, along with psychopathic and sadistic traits, contributes to empathy deficit.
In other words, trolls feel great about themselves when they inflict and witness people in distress.
To the victims, it poses serious psychological threats, which include low self-esteem, depression and self-harm. More seriously, it may claim someone's life.
Statistics by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) have shown that Malaysia ranks second in Asia (2020) in cyberbullying among youths.
A third of young people in 30 countries, including Malaysia, have experienced cyberbullying, while one in five of this vulnerable population has refused to go to school due to this problem.
As responsible citizens, we should be aware of what constitutes online trolling and cyberbullying.
We must play our role in shaping a healthy online environment. If you witness online bullying, report it to the respective social media service provider. Provide support to the one who is affected.
If you are being trolled or cyberbullied, do not feed the trolls by showing your emotional reaction.
Instead, ignore their harassment but keep the evidence and lodge a report to Cyber999 or other authorities if necessary.
Since anyone can become a troll, we must be mindful of our mood and impulse to harm people online.
Trolling may disrupt relationships, thus seek help if you need to stop trolling yourself to death.
DR AHMAD NABIL MD ROSLI
Consultant psychiatrist,
International Islamic University Malaysia and Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times