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16th April 2024
10:48am BST
The age of social media has brought with it the era of #BeKind, a hashtag that, sadly, seems to only build momentum in the worst-case scenario of bullying.
Sure, the online world boasts many benefits; it allows us to see and learn more about the world around us, from instant information to spotlighting important issues.
However, the darker side of social media tends to go unchecked and unpunished.
Megan Fox recently opened up about the devastating impacts that online bullying has had on her life.
In response to the trolling that Love Is Blind's Chelsea Blackwell has faced after referring to Fox as her 'doppelganger' while appearing on the reality dating show, the actress said the contestant received far too much backlash for her comments of comparison.
“I don’t really watch tv very much but I’ve had a lot of people text me and stop me and even other celebrities that are at Oscar parties were like, “Do you watch Love is Blind?” and I was like 'No, but I know what you’re talking about," she told E News!
"Like I said, I didn’t watch it, but I think in general no one deserves to get bullied."
While it's beside the point, the Transformers star shared that she does believe that she and Chelsea share similarities.
"I did see a picture of her and I guarantee you—she has, like, very blue like slightly slanted almond-shaped eyes—100,000% people have told her, “You kind of look like Megan Fox,” so I believe she’s telling the truth."
She then gave a heartbreaking confession that she hoped would serve as a warning for cyber bullies.
"I hope she still has that sparkle in her eye. I hope the world didn’t steal it from her. Mine died a long time ago from being bullied for twenty years. So I hope that didn’t happen to her," the media personality admitted.
"Best wishes and blessings and yeah, I don’t think she deserved that. I think people went way too hard.”
@enews #MeganFox responds to the backlash #ChelseaBlackwell received amidst comparison controversy on #LoveIsBlind ♬ original sound - E! News
To learn that, just by existing, she feels that this kind of abuse has stolen that 'sparkle' should be rage-inducing for people as fellow humans.
Not only does Fox contend with the bullying as part of her career, but she has accepted that her 'sparkle' has died as a fact and learned to adjust to this reality.
According to Lora Cheadle, losing your sparkle means 'feeling disconnected from yourself, unfulfilled by relationships or events that are supposed to bring you joy'.
The Life Choreographer also says it can result in 'lacking the enthusiasm and motivation to do something about your body, jobs, or whatever it is that's bugging you at the moment'.
Keyboard warriors, it seems, tend to believe that their words are water off a duck's back, particularly when it comes to their celebrity victims, but Fox's confession serves as proof that this isn't the case.
We have lost treasured people due to the nasty words of social media users who believe that sharing their unsolicited opinions is more important than human compassion.
For one, Caroline Flack, an icon of broadcasting and loved one of many, sadly died by suicide after enduring weeks of abuse, both online and in the media.
A once bubbly, charismatic, funny, and talented woman's light was extinguished because social media users' disgraceful behaviours went unchecked and unregulated online.
Her death in 2020 triggered the movement #BeKind, a message the world hoped would prevent a reoccurrence of such a tragic event.
The world reflected deeply upon #BeKind in the wake of her death, yet putting it into practice still often seems to be selective as social media continues to be a place filled with trolls and hateful messaging.
Yet, here we are four years later, in a world where Megan Fox fears for the well-being of a stranger for harmless words said in passing.
Think before you type.
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