In the newly launched #WordsHurt responsive video, a young girl becomes increasingly upset as negative live comments such as “You looked fat today” and “Why are you so stupid?” pop up in her instant messenger: she knits her brow, her mouth contorts, and her shoulders slump.
But when she receives messages of the exact opposite nature, the girl perks up, straightens her back, and a smile spreads across her face.
What drives the message of the video home is that the viewer is the one typing messages to the teen.
The Government of Canada, in partnership with Manifest Communications, launched the #WordsHurt campaign on Monday to raise awareness about the emotional consequences of cyberbullying among youth.
The project aims to help young people understand the real impact of their words in the online world through the video posted on Public Safety Canada’s YouTube channel. Users can type in and “send” positive or negative remarks to instantly see the reaction of the girl, gauging the impact of their words.
Manifest looked at cyberbullying research to inform its work. A 2008 University of Toronto survey found that one in five students had been cyberbullied in the past three months. Other research found that about 75% of youth who cyberbully admit to only bullying in the online world and never in the real world.
“With that nugget of information, we went ahead with the project and put a face to the emotion,” said Andrea Kligman, account director at Manifest Communications.
People often don’t realize the impact of negative online commenting because they can’t see feedback, thus minimizing feelings of remorse and empathy toward the target. The #WordsHurt campaign hopes to teach youth that there are real emotional reactions to virtual interactions.
The #WordsHurt campaign is the next phase of the government’s overall plan to combat online intimidation, which started with the introduction of cyberbullying legislation as part of Bill C-13 last November. “If Canadians know both the legal and emotional consequences of their actions, they will be much less likely to engage in the behaviour,” said Kligman.
The #WordsHurt video is part of Public Safety Canada’s “Stop Hating Online” campaign, which also includes advertising on social media sites and adverts in Cineplex Magazine among other print ads, all of which direct people to the interactive YouTube activity.
