Why cyber trolls and bullying activities are thriving in England
Unless you have experienced cyber trolls and bullying or online trolling and social media abuse online, it is very hard to understand how it feels. The mental and physical effects on a victim of online trolling abuse should not be underestimated.
The impact of cyber trolls and bullying on the victim
Why you should seek legal help if you are being trolled
The impact of cyber trolls and bullying on the victim
Depending on the victim's situation and circumstances, and whether they are in the public eye or not, the impact of online trolling may vary but mental health is always greatly affected, no matter your walk of life. Confrontational, threatening, persistent, negative, nasty and inflammatory comment posts directed at you and shared about you across the world wide web shatters confidence, creates great anxiety and paranoia, leads to eating disorders and body dysmorphia, depression and tragically, often, suicidal thoughts and actions.
Why you should seek legal help if you are being trolled
There are many reasons why victims of online trolling do not seek legal help. If they are in the public eye, they may feel that they will cause more attention and expose themselves to more online trolling abuse. They may feel a legal case would be too convoluted and attract unwanted attention (Cohen Davis work quickly, with privacy protection and obtain anonymity orders for our clients).
If they are role models or are seen to be inspirational to perhaps a younger audience, it is hard to expose themselves as being victims of such horrendous harassment online, since they feel responsible for maintaining a certain image. Thankfully, these role models are coming forward and talking about their experiences of online trolling. This will bring more awareness about the impact on people that are suffering from online trolling abuse and hopefully give support and hope, as every online user is vulnerable to it and there is nothing to be shameful about because very often, it is difficult to ignore and not take personally, no matter the source.
It is difficult developing a thick skin when you are a victim of online trolling. It is not that easy to switch off from it, when it is blasted from the internet 24 hours a day, all the while, escalating. Online trolling is not exclusive to people in the public eye. Anyone from all walks of life, are targets.
Many of our clients have talked about what has stopped them seeking legal help for their online trolling issue and amongst them are feelings of embarrassment and worry about losing relationships, followers and work, feeling that they need to appear in control and unaffected. They have told us that they were deterred because of being told by the police that there is nothing that can be done, direct threats from online trolls, denial, cultural reasons, feeling like it is the price to be paid for being in the public eye or just having a social media account and most often, not knowing what laws are being broken and what can be done legally.
Why do people troll
Only the internet trolls know why they troll people online and post damaging comments about people but they shouldn't be excused. Who knows what the internet troll's backstory is and why they feel the need to troll an individual. Perhaps they feel that they are connecting to someone when they are in the public eye, albeit in a negative way. Perhaps by getting or seeing a response or reaction. Perhaps they are seeking the approval of another internet troll and it has nothing to do with you, at all. Maybe it is because they are envious of you. Whatever their motive is, it is their issue, not yours. When you are the target of online trolling though, it isn't so easy to just dismiss it as 'their issue' or ignore them (but we recommend that you do just that and choose not to respond to online trolling).
Is it a crime to troll
After trolls are all done with posting their random, thoughtless, ugly comments online, they carry on with their lives without thinking that they face any real life consequences (until we track them down), but there are no excuses for online trolling. This is a serious offence of harassment - a criminal offence as well as a civil wrongdoing. An online troll that posts slanderous, slurring, mean words have real effects on real people and often, with devastating effects. The comments and the linking and the sharing of derogatory and negative posts makes life feel unbearable, for anyone.
We are leading the way as a dedicated internet law firm that specialises in online harassment and that includes online trolling, online abuse, defamation, breach of privacy, impersonation, hate speech and any harassment that is social media and internet related.
We provide legal help for people from all walks of life with these serious matters and many have suffered for many years and were at their wit's end, before finding us. Undeterred by, and experienced with large and complex cases, that may involve the removal of thousands of unbreakable chains of harassing web pages or serving injunctions via social media, Cohen Davis will do what they need to do to help you. We also work with the top internet lawyers in the US, so this allows for swift assistance, if necessary.
The impact on your mental and physical health if you are experiencing any online abuse is detrimental but should not stop you from seeking legal advice. We are the first step on the road to recovery from online harassment related issues, so we advise that you call us today. Cohen Davis: 0800 612 7211.