Processing What We See Online
The internet can be a great place for learning, laughing, and sharing. At the click of a button, we can access so many different resources, we can learn about things we have never heard of before, see the amazing work artists share, and watch hours upon hours of content. But, having such an amazing range of content at our fingertips also means that we may occasionally come across things we don’t like, that make us feel strange, or that just aren’t true. This is why it is important for us to know how we can process what we see online, to help keep ourselves safe and happy while using the internet.
There are some important things we need to consider when we encounter dodgy stuff on the internet:
Is it real? It can be easy to spin things on the internet and make them look real, but a lot of the time what we see can be altered, manufactured, or just straight up fake. If something seems off, it probably is – so trust your gut. If you are wanting to do some fact checking, you can start by finding out if it was posted by a trustworthy source or not, this can often be a dead giveaway.
Is it okay? Everyone reacts to things they see online in different ways, and that’s okay. If you feel uncomfortable about something you have seen on the internet, it can be important to consider whether what you saw was okay or not so we can begin to process what we saw and what our boundaries might be going forward.
How does it make you feel? Whatever way you feel is okay, your reaction is totally valid. If you aren’t feeling okay after seeing something on the internet, it is probably a good idea to talk to someone about it.
Was this sent to you on purpose? Sometimes people might send you things thinking they are cool or funny, but they cross your boundaries and make you feel uncomfortable. It can be hard to tell our friends we don’t like something, but it is important to set boundaries as it helps us protect ourselves and our friendships. If someone sent something to you to make you feel uncomfortable on purpose, that’s not okay, and there are things you can do about this too.
Does someone else need to know about this? When we see dodgy stuff online, sometimes we need to tell other people about it. This can help to stop others from encountering the dodgy content and help us to process what we saw. If what you have seen wasn’t okay, was sent to you to make you feel uncomfortable, or could be harmful to others, it is a good idea to talk to someone you trust about it.
Things that might make us feel weird
Different people react differently to seeing things online, but these are just a few types of online content we know can cause a lot of different feelings. Even if these things don’t affect you, it can be good to know that different people might not be okay with seeing these things, so we should be careful about sharing them and respect others boundaries.
Porn and other sexual images. Our bodies can sometimes react positively to seeing naked bodies, even If our minds don’t agree. This can be super confusing but is also a normal experience that lots of people have. Some porn is rough, confusing, or show things that aren’t normally okay, so can make people feel uncomfortable.
Fake news. Some fake news can be really intense! A lot of the time fake news is designed to be clicked on, so has big scary headlines that draw people in. It is normal to feel creeped out, confused, or just plain strange after reading fake news.
Hateful messages. It is a lot easier for people to get away with saying harmful things online than in person, so unfortunately, we see a lot more hateful messages when we are online. Some of these things can be rude, mean, aggressive, or just downright offensive. Hateful messages are designed to put people down, which is never okay, but it means it is totally normal to feel down after seeing them. This is especially true if they are directed at you, or a group you belong to.
Blocking out the haters
There are a range of things we can do to protect ourselves from seeing uncomfortable stuff online, or help us to process things when we have seen something that wasn’t okay.
Block the content. Most platforms allow you to block certain posts that you don’t like, and don’t want to see again. You can check out some handy how-to’s over at Netsafe.
Block the person. If someone keeps sending or posting things you don’t like, you can block them. Netsafe can take you through how to block people online here.
Report the content. If what you saw was just straight up not okay, you might want to report it or talk to someone. This can be important for stopping the spread of harmful content.
Give yourself some space. Sometimes when we see things that make us uncomfortable it can help to put stop using the site we saw the content on, or even put our devices down all together. This can help to make sure we don’t keep seeing the harmful content, and have some space to process how we are feeling.
Talk to someone. If you have seen something that is sticking with you, and continuing to make you feel not-so-okay, you might like to talk to someone. This could be a friend, family member, or someone from a support service. Talking to others can help us process how we are feeling, remind us that our feelings are normal, and navigate how to start feeling better.
Learn more about dealing with uncomfortable online content. There are a range of supportive websites where you can find out info around seeing dodgy stuff online and what you can do about it. A great place to start is Netsafe for all things internet-related, or In The Know for info about things like porn.
