The Facebook group “The laughingstock of TikTok”, in which people make fun of videos published by tiktokeurs, arouses discontent, because of the derogatory comments – sometimes even violent − who are left there.
The avowed goal of the group: to share videos of all kinds seen on TikTok. “Funny videos, other cringe and others where you really wonder if the person has thought about it before publishing, “explains Vanessa Tinéus, moderator of the group, in an interview with the 24 hours.
But comments left on the page encourage several tiktokeurs to publicly denounce this private group. Another Facebook group, called “Against the laughing stock of TikTok”, has even been created.
The moderator of the group defends herself by saying that the members laugh “more at the content than at the person”. But since shared videos usually feature the person posting the content, it’s hard to separate the two.
Vanessa Tinéus also admits that there is very little moderation done on the group. “We [fait de la modération] when it gets out of hand, she says. We have anti-body shaming, anti-racism, etc. We crack down when one of the members breaks the rules.”
She adds that administrators “cannot control the words and actions [des membres]. But that doesn’t mean we always agree with what they write.”
Denounced messages
Marie-Jeanne Gagnon has been the target of derogatory remarks several times, in particular after having published a message in which she indicated that she had low morale.
“If I tell you that right now I’m at my lowest. Are you gonna keep pissing me off? Before you mess with someone’s mind, make sure it won’t leave a mark behind,” she wrote in a post.
One of the group’s administrators responded to his comment by sending him a picture of a rope.
After receiving this comment, Marie-Jeanne Gagnon explains that she wanted to file a complaint with the police, but she claims that she was not taken seriously by the agent on the phone.
“He told me it was silly and to block these people […]. For my situation, he said to me: “Never would I believe that you [n’es pas] smarter than that,” she said in an interview with 24 hours.
Is this cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is when you deliberately want to attack a person, hurt them by making aggressive, offensive, mean or defamatory comments, explains Stéphane Villeneuve, professor in the Department of Language Teaching at UQAM.
Can we therefore conclude that the comments in “The laughing stock of Tiktok» constitute, strictly speaking, cyberbullying? It all depends on the seriousness of the remarks, and the gray areas are numerous, indicates the professor specializing in cyberbullying.
“Sometimes there are subtleties in the way it’s said. There are comments for which it is clear, when they are sharp, directed and written in such a way as to attack the person”, he specifies.
The interpretation of the comment by the person concerned is also taken into account. “The author may have written it in a more comical, playful way, but depending on what the victim has experienced in the past, they may perceive it in a much more important way. You have to be careful what you write to avoid it being misinterpreted, ”argues Stéphane Villeneuve.
The group context, however, makes it more difficult, legally, to accuse someone of cyberbullying. “The person must make messages repeatedly and be able to identify him. At that point, we have to take screenshots and go to the police,” concludes Mr. Villeneuve.
Reference-www.24heures.ca