Latinitas Reports from SXSW 2017
Social media has completely taken over every aspect of our lives; it has changed the way we interact, communicate, and get our news. However, with the rise of social media came the rise of online bullies and trolls.
Sixty-five percent of people have dealt with abuse online, and women are especially susceptible to be attacked by internet trolls, according to Amy Emmerich, Chief Content Officer for Refinery29. During South By Southwest, she sat down with pop star Kesha to talk about her experience with online harassment and how to feel empowered to reclaim their lives online.
As a public figure, Kesha has dealt with her fair share of abuse online and, like many other celebrities, Kesha has had trolls take over the comments on her Instagram. At the Refinery29 and Kesha Discuss Reclaiming the Internet session on March 14, Emmerich asked how she dealt with all of the online hate. Kesha said that she has blocked trolls off her comments and reported them, and that the one thing that has helped her cope is creating music. Kesha’s advice:
“Take a negative thing and make it something positive through art, whether it is music, painting, or writing.”
We all have the power to end cyberbullying and the online attacks on women, we just have to be willing and stop ourselves from letting what other people think of us dictate how we feel. Although we still have a long way to go to making the internet a safe place for us all to connect and interact, we must always remember that we can get away from the online hate. It is important for us to limit our time online, and to learn how to take a step back if things becomes toxic or overwhelming.
“We need to support each other and remember that the hate and this moment are only temporary. When things get bad, take a moment and go offline and do something that makes you live in the moment,” said Kesha.
Kesha also talked about battle with an eating disorder. When Kesha was at the peak of her career, she became obsessed with being skinny and fitting the media’s ideal beauty standards. This led her to begin starving herself to a point where doctors were surprised that she hadn’t had a stroke yet. Kesha eventually went to rehab to take control of her life and her eating habits. To Kesha, speaking out about her struggle during National Eating Disorder Awareness week was one of the the things that really helped her reclaim her life. Although Kesha is in a much better place, she still doesn’t consider herself to be “fixed” and said that dealing with her eating disorder and self-confidence issues is going to be a lifelong battle.
About the Writer
Ari Gonzalez is Latinitas’ Social Media Intern. She is studying Business Administration at St. Edward’s University in Austin and started with us during the Fall 2016 semester. Learn more about Ari here.
