At the zenith of her career in music, South Korean singer and actress Sulli appeared as if she was living a perfect life. Unfortunately, the dark side to her apparent fairy tale was revealed with her recent tragic death.
A former member of top girl group f(x), the 25-year-old pin-up, whose real name was Choi Jin-ri, was reported to have committed suicide at her home south of Seoul. Although the police did not find a suicide note, Sulli was known to have suffered from severe depression.
Prior to her death, Sulli was recognised as a prominent, outspoken feminist voice. She was, for example, vocal about not wearing a bra -- a stance that not only defied the careful brand management of the K-pop industry but also conservative attitudes towards young women in South Korea as a whole.
"She wasn't just an issue-maker but I hope she will be remembered as a women's rights activist who was free-spirited, who could truly speak her mind," said Kwon Ji-an, a South Korean singer and painter, as reported by Reuters.
Not everyone agrees with Ji-an, especially in cyberspace where many show zero tolerance towards those who think or act differently. Sulli was subjected to sustained malicious online criticism and cyberbullying. Her case is indicative of an alarming global trend from an increasing number of netizens, whose lives appear to revolve heavily around the world wide web. Ultimately, tragically, Sulli wasn't resilient enough to handle the relentless abuse.
The death of Sulli is a wake-up call for internet users around the world to recognise the toxic online environment that they are increasingly a part of -- one that potentially costs human lives. In South Korea, her death has intensified demands for state action against cyberbullying. The country's national assembly will reportedly begin debating a bill, already dubbed "Sulli's law", later this year, according to The Guardian.
"Freedom of expression is a vital value in democratic society, but insulting and hurting someone else's dignity is beyond that limit. There need to be far harsher penalties for those who violate that law," said Lee Dong-gwi, a psychology professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, as reported by Reuters.
Psychiatrist Dr Piyawat Dendumrongkul of CGH Hospital admits that cyberbullying is a growing concern in countries across the world. Thailand is no exception.
"This issue is partly due to globalisation, which allows more connectivity among people," said Dr Piyawat. "The physical bullying that takes place in the real world can now be done more easily in the virtual world. It isn't that the degree of severity escalates, but... the consequences seem more public, more severe and more excruciating. Because now bullying can take place repeatedly -- everywhere, anytime."
Various organisations have collected and released data on cyberbullying in recent years. Ditch The Label, a UK-based international anti-bullying charity, reports that, in terms of social media platforms, cyberbullying is most prevalent on Instagram (42%), followed by Facebook (37%) and Snapchat (31%). Statista, a German online portal for statistics, reveals that women are most vulnerable on Facebook. Based on figures from the Cyberbullying Research Center in the US, the most common types of online harassment, according to US students, are mean comments (22.5%), online rumours (20.1%) and sexual remarks (12.1%).
Away from the internet, victims of bullying do at least have a "break", where they are away from their tormentors. A student who is the target of school bullies, for example, can find relief when they get back home. But with the internet being accessible anywhere and anytime, online attacks can seem constant.
Worse, says Dr Piyawat, cyberbullying is often unintentional.
"By definition, cyberbullying is an act of bullying, threatening or intimidation that takes place through digital devices like smartphones, computers or tablets, which can either have direct or indirect impact on the bullied person's reputation, person or things. But many times, cyberbullying can take place unintentionally too, like when people make comments which are not meant to be rude or harsh but... hurt other people's feelings. That is labelled cyberbullying as well."
People with wealth, fame or high social status like Sulli are not necessarily more resilient towards online criticism than ordinary people. Nor are adults always better at dealing with it than children.
"Some famous or powerful people might not care," Dr Piyawat continued. "But for others... what people say or do to them online, even a small message could be considered hurtful, regardless of their social status.
"The issue regarding sensitivity towards cyberbullying is highly individualised. Many, for example, have a stereotypical idea that people with sexual diversity are more sensitive. Actually, they are often tougher than others. No two persons are alike when it comes to how they are affected by negative criticism online. Rich or poor, anyone can be sensitive."
The effects of cyberbullying on victims can differ significantly, however. Some turn into bullies themselves. Others go in the opposite direction and become tougher and more defiant.
The point of concern here, explains Dr Piyawat, is the significant emotional and psychological distress that develops as a result of cyberbullying. Especially among those already showing signs of psychological disorder or mental illness, hateful online messages can be the last straw, pushing them over the line, into aggression, agitation, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or even suicide.
"This issue is one of responsibility, not only of the online community in general, but also the people surrounding individuals with mental conditions," Dr Piyawat said. "If we are close to someone with a mental disorder, our job is to make sure they don't use social media too much. If we start to see signs that the situation is getting worse, we must try to pull them out of the virtual world.
"Cyberbullying can stimulate a deterioration of psychological symptoms. Even when patients are on proper medication, cyberbullying can still be a trigger that turns things from bad to worse."
The best protection against cyberbullying is disconnecting from the internet. This, of course, is much easier said than done. The internet is ubiquitous nowadays. And cyber literacy is crucial.
"When surfing the internet and web boards full of both constructive and destructive comments, users should draw a line to separate themselves from other people's business," Dr Piyawat said. "Don't take people's issues as our own. Don't take everything too personally.
"If anyone feels they are being bombarded by comments and it starts to take a toll on their emotional state, the best way out is to stop reading them. Why suffer when we can choose to shut it down and ignore it?"
