Many people today are influenced by the Internet, especially social media. Social media has a massive impact on people’s lives, sometimes for the better and other times for the worse. Comments are left on social media by different people who want to share their personal opinions and experiences. In doing so they are exercising their First Amendment right of Freedom of Speech.
Individuals want to share their thoughts and ideas and there is no easier place to do that than social media. The issue that comes with this is social media can then become a place where hatred is spread and people’s self-confidence and worth is diminished. Online bullying and hurtful comments on the Internet causes people to have mental health issues and can cause people a lot of pain. This is a common issue, as we see hate or read it daily on the Internet.
We can see individuals, especially those in the limelight, sports players, political figures, actors, and models receive constant hate, commentary, and criticism. This is a huge issue because people’s personal lives and jobs are impacted by how an image presents on social media and its perception. Social media has become very influential and has an impact on our world with how we portray important public figures.
It is our right to be able to communicate our opinions freely, but that does not mean we should only use our freedom to spread hate. It is okay for someone to want their opinion to be heard by the public. It becomes an issue when they are targeting, threatening, and belittling others.
Social media influencers and celebrity figures are the constant targets. Their lives are public, which means their actions and words are open for society to judge. The viewer recognizes what they see and then creates their own ideas and opinions on what they observed. If someone decides they do not like this public figure or what they stand for they retaliate by leaving bullying comments expressing their opinions and frustration.
Controversy and hateful comments quickly spread like wildfire. This can cause peer pressure resulting in others making derogatory comments causing more hate. Social media is believable, and we tend to make our own judgements based on what we see other people post. People tend to mimic others’ behaviors and join in on the common belief. People on the Internet gang together to create hate groups that target one person taking it too far. Voicing opinions through comments can become life-threatening and even become deadly.
Hate on the internet can be harmful to our mental health and can impact the way someone lives their life. Whitney Leavitt, a famous TikTok personality and reality TV star, was attacked on the internet and social media this fall.
Whitney was casted for a role in this past season of Dancing with the Stars and received so much hate that it was harmful to her health. Whitney, an incredibly talented dancer, was criticized for things she said in her past while on a reality TV show. Her talents and gifts as a dancer were overlooked as she got hated and attacked on the internet.
Viewers commented on how she is a “villain” and attacked her claiming she is a terrible person. Week after week, there was a constant hate campaign to get her voted off. How she danced in the ballroom was no longer fairly scored by her performance but how she was viewed on social media. Whitney’s days were cut short even though the judges’ scores kept her in the top three.
The viewers won their hate campaign, and she was voted off. Whitney and her former dance partner Mark Ballas received numerous hurtful messages and comments from the viewers and are still receiving them currently. They have received death threats and other comments that are harmful to their mental health.
It is not okay to verbally attack someone on the Internet because those words have a huge impact. Social media only portrays a picture and how we perceive that picture is not always the whole truth. Social media does not define you; and it does not define your followers or who you are following.
Social media can be a connection, to follow others who have similar likes and interests. The intent of social media is not to be used as an attack or a platform to belittle others. Hate comments are very hurtful. They cause trauma to those reading them and those on the receiving end. Conversation is one thing but casting judgment, spreading rumors, or negligent comments on someone or something is wrong.
Actions have consequences and hate hurts others.
Dancing with the Stars Elimination.” People, 27 Nov. 2025, people.com/whitney-leavitt-and-mark-ballas-perform-dwts-freestyle-after-elimination-11858490. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.)
