Growing up in the ‘90s means suffering through the invention of the internet bully and learning how to shield your ego with both blue vented locker doors and virtual red “block this user” buttons. As a result of this tumultuous upbringing, I was always two flying fists in the air.
I was a video game control with no forward button, aimlessly button smashing kung-pow kicks only when the enemy got close enough for the moves to reach. I was stagnant. When thinking about the common threads between each tormentor from both the cyber world and the real world, I realized that it wasn’t my physical self that needed to change; it was my way of thinking.
Standing up for oneself is about more than just fighting back; it’s about moving forward.
If there was one thing I learned about the rise of the internet, it’s that I am not alone. There are well over 2 billion users on the internet every day. One of them is bound to share a similar story.
So I started a movement.
Broadcasting my experiences, loud and proud, created a community of like-minded people. My voice and virtual space connected all different types of people, worldwide, who needed a safe space to talk about their acceptance and struggles.
From my virtual discourse, a web of similar inspired hashtags and coined-terms were created and shared over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest. etc. There were and are people that need this. All it took was a few bloggers to endorse it.
No longer am I button-smashing in place. I am hash-tagging my way to liberation and annihilating every bully that ever “< + > + X” in my playing field.
