Cyberbullying has moved beyond casual online spats into coordinated attacks that carry real-world consequences.
On X, users nicknamed ‘banger boys/girls’ have built reputations for targeting celebrities and their families with defamatory posts and fabricated claims designed to generate clout. The pattern often involves pushing unfounded truths to spark outrage and profit from the attention.
1. Decline in Mental Health:
Repeated attacks, insults, and false stories contribute to anxiety, stress, and emotional fatigue among celebrities. The impact intensified when trolls involved family members. The constant pressure to respond to or clarify lies left many public figures dealing with long-term psychological strain.
2. Damage to Reputation and Career:
Defamatory posts from ‘banger’ users spread rapidly and shaped public perception before facts emerged. Even after corrections were issued, the initial falsehood lingered. For celebrities, this resulted in lost endorsements, strained partnerships, and reduced trust from fans and brands.
3. Trauma for Family Members:
The abuse extended beyond the public figure to spouses, children, and relatives. Private photos were misused, personal details were exposed, and harmful rumours were circulated. A recent incident involved singer Adekunle Gold after an X user identified as Swanky falsely declared the singer’s daughter, Deja, dead. The claim caused distress and confusion until it was disproved.
4. Monetisation of Cruelty:
Engagement-driven algorithms rewarded outrage. This created a system where trolls treated harassment as content. The pursuit of virality encouraged more accounts to adopt similar tactics, turning abuse into a revenue strategy and reducing empathy across the platform.
5. Increased Physical Safety Concerns:
False narratives moved from screens to real life. Lies about a celebrity’s health, location, or family created risks of stalking, public confrontations, or mob reactions. Fabricating a child’s death, as seen in the case involving Adekunle Gold’s daughter, triggered panic and posed potential security threats to the family.
6. Creative and Social Withdrawal:
Facing constant harassment, some celebrities limited posts, disabled comments, or left platforms entirely. This withdrawal affected their connection with fans and reduced incomefrom digital engagement. It also sent a warning to upcoming talents about the hostility they might face.
7. Public Distrust in Information:
The frequent circulation of unfounded claims by ‘banger’ users weakened confidence in online information. Audiences struggled to separate fact from fiction as corrections rarely traveled as fast as the original lies. The trend eroded media credibility and made accountability harder to enforce.
Thenationnewsonline.net
