In September, Amanda Todd, a 15 year old girl, posted a You Tube video, in an attempt to cry out for help. In the eight minute video she tells the story of how over the course of 3 years she was literally tormented online and eventually in her physical life. Amanda Todd as a 7th grader was sexually manipulated by an online predator, into exposing her body to him via webcam. By the time she was in the 8th grade this depraved pedophile had located her on Facebook, thus gaining access to her personal information. He then black mailed Amanda, threatening to send the nude pictures he had attained the year before out to all of her friends and family, unless she sent him more nude photographs. She refused to cooperate and as a result he followed through with his threat. Pictures of the naked child went out to all of her Facebook contacts. She was immediately harassed and bullied over the internet, by her peers. The online hatred flooded over into her daily social life as she was cast out and abandoned by her friends. She was forced to repeatedly change schools. At one point she was beaten up by a group of girls outside her school and left in a ditch. No one came to her aid they just jumped at the opportunity to film the assault and make fun of her further. After enduring years of abuse, she tried to kill herself by drinking bleach. After surviving the suicide attempt she was then tortured online more by cruel social networking posts now laughing at her for drinking the poison. In a final cry she used You Tube to post her full story and make a plea for some peace and affection in her life. With real bravery she made it clear that she was desperate for someone to understand the anguish she’s endured. The video brought out even more hate and online ridicule.
On October 10th 2012 Amanda Todd took her own life…. Much too late, her story has gone viral, worldwide. It is being told through the same social mediums that were used to condemn her. All over supporters have learned of this girls unnecessary torment and are disgusted by the popularity of online bullying. “Anonymous”, the popular online hacking team, has made it their mission to identify the demented soul that took horrible advantage of this young girls naivetyand publicly name the man.
Online bullying has become a sadistic trend. Kids and teenagers act as if broadcasting their torture of other human beings over the internet is a game. Ripping people’s lives apart through social media networks is a competition of cruelty and void of human decency.
Here is the link to Amanda Todd’s personal story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyHX7wMJBY0