‘Social media bullying is soul crushing’

At a time when excessive and aggressive use of social media has become the norm, it has also become a double edged sword, feels actor Renuka Shahane, who slams the mindless trolling actors are often subjected to.

She admits getting affected herself by such things. “I’ve never faced such negativity in my life that I did on social media. I put up a picture of a rising sun, and people trolled me left, right and centre. I used to think how depressing the world is if one can say nasty things about a sunrise,” the actor rues.

There even came a point when Shahane started to contemplate what to put out so she wouldn’t get trolled. “But soon I realised that it was not the right way to deal with it. I’m as honest on social media as I’m in real life, and now I’m like, ‘If you don’t like my post, that’s your problem, I don’t know you.’ Yes, if there’s someone I know and respect, who chides me, then I rethink, but otherwise not,” asserts the actor.

Shahane, in fact, says now she has become quite zen about social media. “Most of the times you’re dealing with people with agendas, now it does not affect me,” she adds.

However, she is quick is point that not everyone can deal with such toxicity the way she can, especially the younger lot in the industry. “They seek validation and a sense of belonging from social media. So, when the bullying happens at such level, it’s soul crushing. Therefore, it’s important to raise your voice against such abusive nature, call these people out, shame and report them to the cyber cell,” she urges, adding that there should be zero tolerance for death and rape threats.

Before concluding, the actor has a word of caution for everyone. “While it’s up to us to try and clean the system, we must also make sure that we don’t troll other people; that’s not fair. If we’re abusive, you can’t expect others to not be abusive to you,” ends Shahane.

Juhi Chakraborty