It still hurts...

Social media has presented Itself as a great platform that can be of great use when It comes to staying in touch with our loved ones and sharing our passions. However, what happens in It is not so innocent. These websites and apps, even if made with a positive motive in mind, have represented a vessel for the insecurities of the current generation and many others, making up for a gateway to not only hide our real emotions and state behind a facade and only publishing a heavily stylized life we pretend to live, though also for the opposite, actively hating and posting mean comments to other people in the Internet, escalating to exaggerated degrees of social aggravation and leading to these individuals to mental breakdowns or even to commit suicide. That's why in this article I will talk about what goes through the mind of a "Hater" or "Internet Troll" when he/she talks down about a stranger in the internet and how random acts of kindness can take us a long way:

What sparks all this hate?

It might have to do with more than one reason, like envy, gathering attention or just wanting to follow a popular trend, though there's always an underlying core problem behind all this, insecurities and a lack of empathy alongside mental health issues. A person that feels insecure about his/her own value and sees someone that actually displays those attitudes that he/she either doesn't want to recognize or has gotten past all those issues that the individual is afraid to face, will experience feelings of resentment and envy, As If they were pointing in their direction, telling them what they are not doing with themselves and how all could be so much better If they actually did It. Then they resort to try to demean that individual through harsh words in a comment, and, If the degree of those negative emotions escalates to active hatred, they can attract the attention of other people with the same mischievous intentions or just wanting to form part of a group, (along with some time in the spotlight for themselves) to form part of what's called an "Internet Mob", participating in active harassment and the destruction of the reputation of their target, thus making their lives an active hell, all because of what they published.

Now that we know how this aggression towards one another in social media is generated and applied, we can begin to talk about a different approach to take, not only to make something positive, though at the same time to make yourself and others happier in the process:

Random Acts of Kindness in the Internet:

This might have happened to you. When you help an elder person cross the street or give a hand to someone that needs It without being asked to, you feel a sudden rush of dopamine and happiness, giving you a wide smile and energy for the rest of the day, knowing that you made someone's life at least a 1% easier. Well, you can take the same approach when you are talking to strangers in the Internet, reminding yourself that at the other side of the screen there's a real person, someone like you, who might have been struggling with personal problems and a bad situation, to which just a word of encouragement could mean the world. The person will be grateful and will display It with a response, thus giving you the satisfaction of actually being kind to someone in platforms where that value is a rare occurrence, and motivating both of you to keep going.

I hope that the information presented in this article could be of use to you, highlighting the importance of being kind to each other and wishing the best to other people, not jumping to conclusions that others might fabricate for you and giving them the strength to make changes for the positive. Thank you for your support and good luck!