as society came out of the early noughties into the 2010s and collectively realized that "hm, maybe bullying is bad," a wave of anti-bullying/confidence boosting posts washed up all over the internet. For for every tumblr blog that postsed graphic self-harm scars or promoted eating disorders, there was an equal and opposite blog trying to spread positivity and promote self-love with photos of handwritten inspirational quotes and gifs, which to me encapsulates the millennial optimism of the early 2010s—the idea that the internet could be used for good, that it was possible to inspire others and drag sad teens out of suicidal ideation through peace, love, and positive reblogs.
I think looking back, this era seems kind of corny and naive, but having lived through it at the time, it felt all too real. I remember vividly talking internet friends out of suicide in my early teens and starting a "stay strong" instagram account with a friend, where we made posts that detailed ways to distract onesful from self harming or reasons why life was worth living. it really felt like we were making a difference, and that optimism and positivity was needed online, especially in a post-Amanda Todd world.
Eventually all of this *gestures to photos below* stuff became widely mocked and made fun of. There's the infamous "How Is Cyberbullying Real" tweet made by then-edgelord Tyler, The Creator, as well as more recent tweets and tiktoks that half-jokingly encourage people to "bring back bullying" in order to shame others for not following social norms. I think today's average cynical twitter user would sneer at these efforts to spread positivity, but let's not forget what this was all a reaction too, right?
