Ssuubi is winning but what happens to his cyberbully

What you need to know:

Choices have consequences. We must be deliberate in explaining (and illustrating) that it is possible to be critical and disagreeable, or even humorous, without being offensive and derogatory. That social media can give one voice and power without the right to take away another’s, and their dignity. About fake news and anxieties. But also, that choices have consequences.

In June 2019, Kyle Kushav, an 18-year-old American, had his admission to Harvard University cancelled after screenshots of offensive and racial slurs he had made, at 16, were shared.
When that story broke, I discussed it with a group of teenagers who insisted that people should not be punished for mistakes they make at 16. Fair point, I conceded, but my counter argument was that decorum has nothing to do with age. The name Emmanuel Aupal, might have flown under the radar in this fiasco, but he is the twitter user who sought to humiliate another young man, Henry Ssuubi Kiyimba, for reporting to Makerere University with a metallic case and an Ousofia (polythene ) bag, in 2019.
I am not sure whether it is the economy or poor upbringing that has us projecting our sadness and anger onto others. But given the influence of social media on our lives and perceptions, the resultant and devastating manifestation is in cyber harassment and bullying.
You see it every day on the Internet. Someone gets into an argument, it gets fiery, and then degenerates into them getting ridiculed and called fat or ugly or poor or a slut or gay. Their friends, followers and fans come at you like hounds. Sometimes, as was the case with Ssuubi, it is even unprovoked (not that it would make a difference if it were).
To understand the severity of cyberbullying, consider the fact that studies show that social media causes depression, loneliness and social anxiety, which are conditions related to mental health – the leading causes of suicide among teenagers.
Therefore, in extreme cases, what you post online can be a matter of life and death. But more than anything else, it exposes your perceptions and prejudices. This is probably why the US Visa policy now requires applicants to submit their social media details as part of processing. Employers are also requiring job applicants to include social media accounts on their forms.
While we know that social media gives voice and power, studies also show that young people who use social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feel more anxious when they compare their future with others and that there is overwhelming pressure to succeed.
This spiral is exacerbated by people like Aupal, who thrive on the power of mockery.
Of course, one could argue that Ssuubi was never going to know about an incident that happened on Twitter. So in his case, it is possible that this talk about social media and anxiety and depression is misplaced. But cyberbullies and Internet trolls are probably bullies offline – and that is exactly why repercussions must be extended there as well.
We must also consider that this “joke” could have been on someone else, maybe younger, more fragile and without the protections of not-being-online. Then what? Given the growing influence of the Internet and its stated effects on our lives, we need to be more deliberate with countering cyberbullies. Especially since we can’t make a fairytale out of every Ssuubi, we must create systems that protect the vulnerable from being shamed for how they look or where they come from. Those protections must come with such deterrent comeuppance for offenders, like happened to Kushav – the denial of access, job, contract, or internship opportunity, for them to learn.
But while we do that, we must also invest in the kind of information literacy that teaches young people how to consume information analyse it and project their perceptions from it. We must be deliberate in explaining (and illustrating) that it is possible to be critical and disagreeable, or even humorous, without being offensive and derogatory. That social media can give one voice and power without the right to take away another’s, and their dignity. About fake news and anxieties. But also, that choices have consequences.
These are the sorts of discussions that need to be happening in our homes, schools and university lecture rooms, because they are about now and about the future – but they aren’t. How many other people are lurking in wait, drafting their next offensive joke? How do we get them to understand the cost of their folly?
You need to read Harvard University’s refusal letter to Kyle Kushav, and follow his twitter rant thereafter. It works.

Mr Rukwengye is the founder, Boundless Minds. [email protected]