What is virtual self-harm?
The term self-harm is generally defined by physical injuries that are auto-inflicted, including cutting, overor under-eating and substance abuse. The internet however, has given rise to a new form of self-abuse, conducted predominantly through social media sites to inflict emotional or psychological harm.
This can manifest in two ways: "self-baiting", where the victim posts an inflammatory comment to an online community to incite aggressive responses towards themselves; and "online self-harm", where the victim creates false social media profiles to send offensive or insulting messages to their main profile, simulating third-party abuse. Both forms are used to effectively reinforce the negative feelings the victims have about themselves, and validate their low self-esteem.
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