#fourthpost

Social media is supposed to be a wonderful platform for people to engage with friends and family by spreading positive vibes and sharing good news. Yet, this masterpiece has been destroyed by evil people with bad intention that stays unknown and remains untraceable that leads to the culture of trolls and cyberbullies. How should we stop this and what are the ways to save these innocent lives?

What exactly is trolling and cyberbullying? 

According to Cambridge Dictionary (2019), trolling is the act of a group or an individual leaving an insulting message on the internet to annoy someone. Additionally, it can easily be found on the web, resulting in problems for businesses, people and the general wellbeing of some aspect of social media (Hanson 2016). As for cyberbullying, it is a practice where an individual or group send hurtful text or spread hatred towards another person on the internet in the form of message, social media post, and e-mail which are usually untrue just for the sake of mock, harm or harassment (Techopedia 2019). Basically, both trolling and cyberbullying are pretty much the same. Both can cause damage, emotional scarring, long-term symptoms of depression and even until the extend of suicide (Strutt Central 2012). Anderson (2018) asserted that there are 59% of U.S. teens that suffered from online bullying and harassment. However, teenagers mostly think that the government, education sector and social media companies failed to address the problem. Hence, this issue must be look into deeply in order to stop the collateral damage.

Here’s an example of  the effects of cyberbullying:

(Source :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auVtqQIcQFM)

How to eradicate cyberbullying?

Based on Techopedia (2019), there are several recommendations offered by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) for the cyberbullying victims. When victim faced cyberbullying, he or she can block the cyberbullies on all social media platform. Next, report to website administrators that he or she encounter cyberbullies. Online users also can avoid or reject in sharing personal information online by making the profile private. Besides, if he or she is a minor victim, voice out to a trusted adult about cyberbullying would be a good choice as they can calmly aid us in tackling the issue.

Another approach is the implementation of AI technology on the internet. Currently, the machine learning algorithms can clearly detect suicidal tendencies with high accuracy via “neural representation of emotions”. The evolving “Emotion AI” has the potential to become a precious asset in identifying and preventing self-harm in the future. If a machine or system has the capability to interpret and analyse human emotion through face or voice recognition, it will be a tremendous leap forward for the use of AI in suicide prevention (Chester 2019).

Here are 5 ways of healing for cyberbullying victims:

Unplug from technology for a time.

Know that you are not alone.

Keep in touch and seek help from people who know about the cyberbullying attack.

Concentrate on enhancing your own self-worth.

Forgive and forget.

Let me end with these two bible verses:

To all the cyberbully out there, you must stop hatred now.

James 4:11-12 (CEV version) “My friends, don’t say cruel things about others! If you do, or if you condemn others, you are condemning God’s Law. And if you condemn the Law, you put yourself above the Law and refuse to obey either it or God who gave it. God is our judge, and he can save or destroy us. What right do you have to condemn anyone?”

To all the cyberbully victims, we’re on your side, you’re not alone.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT version) “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord, your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” 

References

‘10 tips for healing after a cyberbully attack’ 2019, CMASAS, viewed 6 November 2019, <https://www.cmasas.org/blog/10-tips-healing-after-cyberbully-attack>.

‘Cyberbullying’ 2019, Techopedia, viewed 3 November 2019, <https://www.techopedia.com/definition/2389/cyberbullying>.

‘Trolling’ 2019, Cambridge Dictionary, viewed 4 November 2019, <https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/trolling>.

Anderson, M 2018, A majority of teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying, Pew Research Center, viewed 5 November 2019, <https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/>.

Chester, D 2019, How AI can help fight cyberbullying, TechTalks, viewed 6 November 2019, <https://bdtechtalks.com/2019/09/05/artificial-intelligence-online-bullying/>.

Hanson, J 2016, Trolls and their impact on social media, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, viewed 4 November 2019, <https://unlcms.unl.edu/engineering/james-hanson/trolls-and-their-impact-social-media>.

INTRODUCTION

In the vast landscape of digital communities, fandoms have grown to become one of the most prominent communities, connecting individuals from diverse backgrounds and around the globe through their shared passion and enthusiasm. The BTS Army, a passionate fandom for the South Korean boy band Bangtan Boys (BTS), is one such fandom that has a strong and solid community in the online sphere. They are one of the most successful fandoms to have built a sense of community within their members globally. Therefore, The BTS Army will used as a case study for this blog post.

BTS is one of the most famous South Korean boy bands to reach international fame with their captivating music and breathtaking performances. According to Farley (2022), the band has over 140 million followers across the different social media platforms they use. These fans, known as the BTS Army, have played a significant role in driving the band’s success by utilising digital platforms to connect and share about them in their community. At the core of BTS Army is their shared love and passion for BTS’s artistry and showmanship, which has allowed them to build a sense of community. Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Weverse and V Live (to be merged into Weverse) are central hubs where fans can share their admiration or content regarding the popular band (Farley 2022). The accessibility of these platforms has allowed fans to further develop their identity and sense of community through their mutual love for BTS.

THE STRENGTH OF THE BTS ARMY

The BTS Army has also shown an impressive ability to harness the use of social media to build an international digital fandom. Hashtags regarding BTS regularly trend on Twitter and Instagram, allowing them to create a sense of participation within the community. The fandom is also very active video content creators, especially on YouTube (Cho 2018). According to Cho (2018), they create and post reaction videos of themselves regarding BTS’s music videos, merchandise or variety shows. Cho (2018) also states that some fans also create dance covers of BTS songs, which is common within the K-pop fandom community. As can be seen in these activities, the BTS Army is an active member of the participatory culture of BTS. As a result, online spaces like social media are compelling spaces for fandoms like the BTS Army to build communities and a sense of belonging.

Moreover, the BTS Army is a good example of how fandoms can serve as a solid support network for many individuals. Social media platforms are able to provide the fans an online space where they can share their personal stories, struggles and joys (Haulenbeek 2022). Members of the BTS Army can express their sense of belonging within the fandom as they often find solace with one another, empathizing with each other’s experiences. One such movement that showcases this is the Army Help Center. The Army Help Center (formerly an X account) partnered with the Crisis Text Line to help provide mental health support to fans who need it (Mcnamara 2020). Mcnamara (2020) states that the Army Help Center account also shares mental health tips and self-worth reminders on top of the option for people to directly message them if they need someone to talk to about their problems. With this movement, it can clearly be seen that the BTS Army has created a supportive community that is able to back each other up.

THE PROBLEM WITH FANDOMS

Although the BTS fandom has brought about many positive changes to society, it is also crucial to acknowledge the problems that arise from fandoms.  It is also natural for fandoms to experience disagreements, conflicts and even toxic behaviours (Sihombing et al. 2022). For example, differing opinions and perspectives on music video interpretations that are not resolved can lead to tensions being created within the community. One reason for this is the fanatics within the community. According to Sihombing et al. (2022), fanatics are usually unrelenting and even provocative in their behaviour as they believe their opinion regarding their favourite celebrities is always right, leading to toxic fights within the community. However, the BTS Army has demonstrated in several cases that they are able to regulate their behaviour to a certain degree, addressing the different opinions they have and maintaining a positive and inclusive environment for everyone.

In conclusion, the BTS Army is a solid fandom that is able to showcase how digital communities can build a sense of identity and belonging within their members, although toxicity within the community must be regulated.

REFERENCES

Cho, M 2018, ‘3 Ways that BTS and its fans are redefining liveness’, Flow Journal, 29 May, viewed 23 November 2023, <https://www.flowjournal.org/2018/05/bts-and-its-fans/>.

Farley, A 2022, ‘How the BTS ARMY turned their fandom into the future of entertainment’, Fast Company, 3 August, viewed 23 November 2023, <https://www.fastcompany.com/90721903/bts-hybe-korean-record-label-weverse#:~:text=The%20band%20has%2044.4%20million,group%20has%2014.7%20million%20fans.>.

Haulenbeek, SK 2022, ‘Mental health, community, commitment, and the growth of individual identity in the participatory fandom of the BTS ARMY’, OUR Journal: OCU Undergraduate Research Journal, vol. 9, no. 5, viewed 24 November 2023, <https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=ourj>.

Mcnamara, B 2020, ‘BTS ARMY Help Center partners With Crisis Text Line for mental health support’, Teen Vogue, 25 January, viewed 24 November 2023, <https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bts-army-help-center-crisis-text-line>.

Partner Project using Adobe Illustrator [Ai]

This week we were given a project to work on in pairs. It involved drawing two basic pictures for our partner, who would then draw them in illustrator using the skills that we have learnt so far (such as the pen tool). Once they had finished their part, it would be back to me to tidy it up and polish it off.

They would also do two drawings for me and I would do the same.

The first image showcases what my partner gave me to draw, and the next few images are my recreations of those images using the pen tool in illustrator.

The shapes that my partner gave me to create involved a variety of techniques with many types of control points. The first image used mostly corner points, the second image used both corner points and hybrid points. Neither involved any broken points.

For the Eiffel Tower image, I used a large selection of straight lines and corner points to make the basic shapes involved in the base and other horizontal lines. I also used a variety of hybrid points to create the parts where curves and straights intersect, such as the triangle in the centre.

For the Feather Image, I created an outline using a lot of hybrid points for the  jagged cutouts on the sides of the feather. The smaller details on the insides of the leaf were created using just basic curves and straights.

Currently, my partner has not completed their end of the project and as such I have no images to polish, or a reference image for what I drew them.

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Current Software Skill Rating:

Windows : 10

MacOS : 6 (increase from 5 last week)

Photoshop : 5

Illustrator : 6 (increase from 5 last week)

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Troll is a member of an Internet community who posts offensive, divisive and controversial comments and they usually make obvious and inflammatory statements that are meant to bait new users into reacting (Techopedia 2019). This action is called trolling. Trolling is the act of leaving an offensive or insulting message on the internet in order to annoy someone (Cambridge Dictionary 2019). If you are an active social media user, chances are you have experienced trolling in one way or another. Growing up in the era of a rise in social media usage, I have witnessed a lot of trolling. As I am mostly active in Instagram, I have seen a lot of messages people leave in the comment section, trolling others for what they look like, what they wear or simply just for being there. It makes you think what have these trolls experienced in their personal life that they seem to be so negative about others and everything.

So, how to know that you are actually dealing with a troll? There are a lot of ways to know if you are dealing with a troll. Below are a few ways you can spot a troll:

Firstly, they will try to make you angry. I think troll exist for the sole purpose of upsetting people. If you someone stirring trouble in social media by starting an argument and posting inflammatory content, chances are high that they are trolls. Secondly, they act entitled. Many trolls have an inflated sense of worth. They function as if the world revolved around them, or they actually believe the world does really revolve only around them. Thirdly, they love to exaggerate a lot in their comments. They use strong words such as ‘never’ and ‘every’ as using extremes and superlatives words are the easiest way to inflame people. Next, trolls always make the arguments personal. Rather than opting to discuss the matter reasonably and logically, they tend to attack an opponent’s character. They will call people names and say things that appeal not to intellect but to feelings and prejudices. Lastly and weirdly enough, trolls often cannot spell. They spell the words wrong, use words wrong, avoids using commas and periods, type in all caps and a lot more. Cornell and Stanford researchers did a study about anti-social behaviour online and trolls fail standard, readability metrics for the stuff they write (Cheng, Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil and Leskovec, 2015).

Now, how to deal with these social media trolls? There are no definite ways of handling the trolls (Sanfilippo, Yang and Fichman, 2017). According to the survey research they have done, they believe there are a few ways we can handle the trolls both as an individual or in a community. Among the solutions provided are by blocking the trolls and deleting their comments, unmasking their identities, just simply ignore them and set-up strict rules or a peer review system to actually monitor their behaviour. The peer review system is basically sharing the information about the trolls with the community that a person is in, for example, the gaming community. They, as a group will provide a conclusion of whether a person is a troll or not according to evidence that have been gather about someone’s behaviour.

The internet should be a good place. Social media is a great way to engage the world around you and a great way for brands and businesses to engage with users. Although it can be a very positive thing, on the internet you are likely to run into trolls. Trolls can be a bad thing or a good thing! You've got to know how to handle trolls. It is important to remain on the offense as well as knowing how to respond to the comments and criticism of a troll.

Gaining new members and keeping current churchgoers motivated to attend services has been an ongoing struggle that all churches face. However, with technology and the growing digital age, the struggle to keep institutionalize religion relevant has become even more of a conflict. 

According to Michael Smith in the April 2019 article titled “Church Media 101 Sessions Explore Storytelling, Websites, Social Media, Mobile,” chief marketing officer Josh Weiss recently did a speech in Anaheim, CA to local ministry leaders about the art of storytelling and the importance of making the story of the Bible interesting to its listeners. Weiss claims that by doing this, the connection the listeners have with the Bible will improve  and will in turn, will make them want to learn more about the scriptures. He also emphasized that because social media is such a large industry nowadays, churches need to work on advertising their website and promoting their events on mobile platforms. This will make people want to visit the church website and interact with their content. Eventually this will allow more exposure to their religious services and make a large impact in the number of followers of the church In summary, taking advantage of the opportunities that mobile and digital communication offers in key to the success of the church in modern day society.