The toxic life of a social media producer

Bobo ka.

Wala kang kwenta.

Putang ina mo. 

Sana ma-rape ka. Sana ma-rape buong pamilya mo.

Mamatay ka na lang. Mamatay kayong lahat.

Hurts, doesn’t it?

Now imagine waking up every morning and being told these things again and again. You get texts, private messages, and even posts on your wall.

You ask them what you did wrong but, when you try to explain, you’re either called a liar or ignored altogether.

What would you do then?

This is what every day feels like. We wake up each morning, tired from the long night before, with a sense of dread about the day ahead.

Every day we go to work to face a never-ending barrage of comments and messages filled with more hatred than you can imagine. Every day we monitor the social media accounts of our company and every day we are brutally attacked by complete strangers because something we published didn’t suit their tastes.

You might tell me now, “But it’s the writer we’re attacking” or “It’s the company as a whole.”

“Don’t take it personally, it’s not like we’re attacking YOU.”

You may even think that nobody ever really reads the comments anyway, that the hundreds upon hundreds of comments posted on our pages daily go to some machine or are just simply ignored.

But, don’t you get it? We are the ones who monitor the comments. The words you so easily typed out with so much venom will always be read. Those bullets you’re trying to shoot at “the company as a whole” always, always, hit us first.

Even you would have a hard time not taking it personally if it’s what surrounds you all day, every day. Even you would have a hard time not getting hurt.

“Fuck you.”

“You’re worthless.”

“Go to hell.”

“Get raped.”

When is it ever all right to tell a person you hope they get raped? In what universe, in what context, is it ever okay to wish something so horrible on anyone?

I can only assume that perhaps the people who so carelessly throw that word around have never experienced such inhumane treatment or they don’t personally know anyone who has. Someone who did would never wish that on anyone, no matter how much hate or anger they feel.

Before you go on a comment spree about freedom of speech, let me make one thing very clear: We WANT you to talk to us. We WANT you to tell us what you think and how you feel.

If an article makes you angry, tell us! If you think we could have done a better job at reporting something, say it!

But why would you include unnecessary insults in that discussion? Why would you start calling people names or wishing tragedy on others?

It doesn’t matter which side you’re on; hate speech is hate speech.

Everyone needs to understand that words do have power. It doesn’t matter if a comment was said online or came from an anonymous user. If you’re told someone hopes you get killed, it will scar you.

This isn’t some hypothetical situation. This is actually happening to real people, and you may even know some of them. This is our daily life.

Now imagine if you were in our shoes.

What would you do to try and end this endless cycle of hate that you’re struggling to break away from?

Please, I sincerely want to know.