Tuesday 23 April 2013

FUCK YOU ASK.FM

This isn't a review. This isn't some chatty post about my favourite song.It's about something that is bothering me. It's going to be, as usual, opinionated, detailed and you're probably going to disagree with some of the things said.
That's okay. 
Let's begin.

Ask.fm is no secret to our youth nowadays. Like Facebook, Twitter, Formspring, it blew up like any other old social networking website. But it was more interesting. With the feature with the promise of complete anonymity and confidential messages, you can say anything you want on someone else's page with the reassurance of not being discovered.
You'd think it would encourage cringey relationship proposals, confessions of love, but that's too innocent for our youth. Being seventeen myself and in the correct boundary of this 'youth' I speak of, I can relate to the excitement it would bring.
Unlike Facebook, unlike Formspring, your identity is a complete secret and unfortunately, not even traceable by the authorities.

Cyberbulling has been around for a while now. Ever since the social networking sites began, it's been a primary arena for hate, trolls and bullying.
It's been the source of every rumour, the messenger that spreads the word and regretfully, the cause of many teenagers problems today. 
Sadly, this particular website is famous for not a good reason. It's famous for being the cause of approximately 6 teenaged suicides from as young as 14 years old. That's not a reason for the creators of this website to be happy, to be proud, to be satisfied with the global phenomena it has.
And yet, kids as young as 11 continue to make accounts on this website.

Ask.fm is filled with questions to do with virginity, crushes, snog marry avoids but the prominent post on nearly ever single account I've looked at is hurtful comments encouraging suicide, self harm and self abuse.
It's disgusting how innovative people are nowadays with insults - with curse words too revolting to repeat, statements too degrading to write on here and just generally horrific things that people are victim to.
When someone insults you in the street, a random stranger, you'd stick up for yourself, right? Confront them? Demand to know what their problem was? I mean, how can someone insult and judge you when they don't even know you?
When a friend admits to you they think you're a 'slag' or an 'idiot,' you're more hurt, aren't you? Because this person knows you and therefore must have justification for insulting you.
So how come, when an anonymous troll tells you to commit suicide, it's taken seriously?

It's beyond me why this website still exists. Why teenagers, young adults, CHILDREN subject themselves to this bullying. It's simple. Get rid of the website.
Bullying would continue, sure. I'm not doubting that. CyberBullying has only recently been taken seriously into account of authorities. Comments and status' on Facebook will continue to be filled with low lives who have nothing better to do and find pleasure in hurting others through a fucking computer screen.
Celebrity Twitter spats will press on with rival fanbases at eachothers throats (thank you Louis Tomlinson and Tom Parker for that amusing and yet pointless argument the other day where Directioners are actually threatening the lives of Wanted fans - good message you guys portray)

Truth is, the balance has tipped. The endless amount of support bullying victims get from celebrities, songs, movies, charities is pointless against the increasing amounts of children taking their own lives.
Escape the Fate is right, 'violence is a vicious cycle' and unfortunately, it's forced upon others just like it's forced upon the bullies.
But back to my main point. FUCK YOU ASK.FM you're a goddamn waste of an URL and internet space.


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