Everyone who knows the web and social media platforms, and use them often, must know how harsh things can be.
it's no secret that the digital world can be unforgiving. While these platforms connect billions, they also amplify negativity, often leaving users vulnerable to harsh criticism and harmful content. Behind the screens, what seems like an endless stream of connection can often mask the cruelty of cyberbullying, misinformation, and toxic interactions.
Because of this, the internet’s harshness can leave people reeling, making the virtual world feel anything but welcoming.
No one is immune, nobody can hide from the hate internet trolls emit.
Off the heels of the major global success of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, Cynthia Erivo said that:
"Be the person who tells the positive. What a person who has never met you thinks is never more important than what you think of yourself."
Speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Erivo defended her co-lead actress Ariana Grande after knowing that she has become a victim of online hate.
Celebrities like Grande are particularly targeted due to their high-profile persona.
Their fame makes them more visible targets for both positive and negative attention on the internet. Not to mention social media platforms' dynamics that often surface news about famous people, and the nature of trolls that are always envious and always on the quest to seek attention.
Erivo responded with the statement, after Grande opened up about the pressure to be perfect in the spotlight.
Grande recalled the many criticisms she had faced throughout her professional career, most of which concern her appearance.
"I’ve been doing this in front of the public and been a specimen in a Petri dish really since I was 16 or 17. I have heard it all. I’ve heard every version of it," the singer said. "You’re young and you’re hearing all kinds of things."
"It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise. It’s something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on, even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner and someone's granny says 'Oh my god you look skinnier, what happened?' or 'you look heavier what happened?'." she added.