A social media platform has been created to help South African victims of cyberbullying.
Bully Busters South Africa was created recently on Facebook by Durban private investigator Brad Nathanson.
Nathanson, who claims he has been a victim of cyberbullying since 2013, said that he wanted to use his experiences to help other South African victims.
“My wife and I have been victims of cyberbullying for a very long time. It has destroyed our lives and has created so much misery for us both. We have reached a point where we are saying enough is enough,” he said.
Nathanson said that in 2013, a Facebook page called Batman Baddy Investigations had been created by an unknown person who continued to defame and harass him on the page.
To date, this page is still operational.
“Just like me, there are many others experiencing similar problems and they don’t have a platform to express themselves. This started out as a little community of just over 1 000 people who have liked the page, but I am expecting it to grow,” said Nathanson.
It is basically a support group.
“Victims are encouraged to share their stories on the page.
“It is also going to be a platform to name and shame people. It is the South African community taking a no-nonsense approach to cyberbullies,” Nathanson said.
Social media expert and IT analyst Aruthur Goldstruck, who is the managing director of World Wide Worx, said that cyberbullying was a common problem and one on the rise in SA. He said it was encouraging to know people were making efforts to take a stand against the issue.
However, he believed that “naming and shaming” platforms were a bad idea and did not solve the problem.
“It is good to create these platforms but naming and shaming is generally a form of revenge which shouldn’t be encouraged,” said Goldstruck.