THE STATE OF WITCHTOK - Witchtok Unmasked Part One

As always I am starting this off with THIS IS NOT ABOUT ANY ONE CREATOR IN PARTICULAR AND GETTING IT TWISTED WILL ONLY FURTHER PROVE THE POINTS I AM ABOUT TO MAKE. THIS IS A STORY THAT I CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE AND CERTAINY BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LINE and those that do feel the need to react, well, like I said, prove the point because I am not mentioning any names simple situations that are visible to everyone.

So essentially, this is my story and no one but me gets to tell it. With that said, lets get on with it.

The Thin Line Between Bullying, Shaming, and Venting in the Online Witchcraft Community

In the age of social media, and even more so in this current Witchtok climate, the lines between bullying, shaming, and venting within the online witchcraft community have become increasingly blurred. While each of these actions involves discussing someone else's behaviour, their intent, impact, and the context in which they occur can make a world of difference. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for maintaining harmony and respect in our magical and spiritual practices. In this blog, we'll explore the differences between bullying publicly, shaming people publicly, and venting to friends in private from a witchcraft perspective, particularly focusing on TikTok and other social media platforms.

Bullying Publicly on Social Media

Definition and Characteristics

Public bullying in the witchcraft community involves aggressive, repeated, and intentional behaviour aimed at causing harm or distress to another practitioner. This often takes place on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter, where the target can be humiliated in front of a wide audience.

Intent

The main intent of public bullying is to exert power and control over the victim. The bully seeks to dominate, intimidate, and belittle their target, often to boost their own self-esteem or social standing within the community.

Impact

Public bullying can have severe consequences for the victim, including anxiety, depression, and a loss of self-worth. The public nature of the attacks can lead to social isolation and, in extreme cases, spiritual disconnection or loss of faith in their practices.

Example

Consider a scenario where a group of witches on TikTok continually harasses a person for their interpretation of a particular spell. They post derogatory comments on their videos, create duets mocking them, and encourage others to join in the ridicule. The intent here is clear: to harm and demean the victim publicly.

Shaming People Publicly on Social Media

Definition and Characteristics

Public shaming in the witchcraft community involves calling out someone's behaviour or actions in a public forum. Unlike bullying, the primary focus is on the behaviour rather than the person. Shaming can be driven by a desire to hold someone accountable or to raise awareness about certain issues within the community.

Intent

The intent behind public shaming can vary. Sometimes, it stems from a genuine desire to promote ethical practices or to discourage harmful behaviour. Other times, it can be motivated by a need to feel morally superior or to gain social capital within the community.

Impact

While public shaming can lead to positive change in some cases, it often results in significant harm to the person being shamed. The individual may experience public humiliation, reputational damage, and severe emotional distress, which can affect their spiritual practices and community relationships.

Example

Imagine a scenario where a witch is called out in a public TikTok video for a personal issue that is unrelated to witchcraft. The video goes viral, and people across social media platforms criticise the individual based on information obtained through a malicious investigation. The bullies dug into the witch's personal life, exposing private details to shame them. While the goal might be to embarrass the individual, the person being shamed can suffer long-lasting repercussions.

Venting to Friends in Private

Definition and Characteristics

Venting involves expressing feelings of frustration, anger, or disappointment to a trusted friend or confidant in a private setting. This type of communication is not intended for public consumption and is often a way to process emotions and seek support.

Intent

The intent of venting is to relieve emotional stress and gain perspective. It's a way to share personal grievances without the intention of harming or humiliating the person being discussed.

Impact

When done respectfully, venting can have a positive impact. It allows individuals to release pent-up emotions and receive empathy from friends. However, it's important to ensure that venting does not turn into gossip or slander.

Example

Consider a situation where someone is upset with a fellow witch who consistently undermines their efforts during online rituals or live streams. They confide in a close friend via private messages, expressing their frustration and seeking advice on how to handle the situation. The conversation remains private, and the intent is to find support rather than to publicly attack the fellow witch.

When Private Venting Becomes Public

Definition and Characteristics

Private venting can take a harmful turn when the confidant breaches trust and shares the vented information publicly. This can happen through social media, gossip, or even direct confrontation. When private venting is released publicly, it transforms from a personal expression of emotions into a public spectacle that can cause significant damage to the parties involved.

Intent

The intent behind sharing private venting publicly can vary. Sometimes, it is done out of malice or a desire to stir conflict. Other times, it might be done thoughtlessly, without considering the consequences. In some cases, it might be an attempt to seek validation or support from a broader audience.

Impact

The impact of publicising private venting can be severe. It can lead to broken trust, damaged relationships, and public humiliation for the person who originally vented. It can also escalate conflicts and create a hostile environment for all parties involved.

Example

Imagine someone confides in a friend about their frustrations with a popular witch influencer. The friend then shares this information on social media, naming the influencer and detailing the grievances. This act can lead to community tension, potential backlash, and a breach of trust between the original venter and their confidant.

Breaches of Confidentiality After a Friendship Ends

Definition and Characteristics

Breaching confidentiality after a friendship has ended, often out of spite, involves the former confidant revealing private venting conversations. This betrayal typically occurs despite the confidant having supported and even participated in the venting during the friendship.

Intent

The intent behind this breach is often malicious, aimed at retaliating against the former friend. The confidant seeks to cause harm, shame, or embarrassment to the person who once trusted them, often as a way to get back at them for perceived wrongs.

Impact

The impact of such a breach is deeply damaging. It not only destroys trust and damages reputations but also exacerbates the emotional pain of losing a friend. The person who vented may feel betrayed, isolated, and vulnerable, especially if the shared information leads to public ridicule or further conflict.

Example

Consider a scenario where two witches have been close for years, often confiding in each other about personal issues, including frustrations with mutual acquaintances. After a falling out, one witch begins to share these private conversations publicly, exposing the other's private thoughts and complaints. This act not only humiliates the person who vented but also undermines their relationships with others, creating a ripple effect of distrust and conflict.

Comprehensive Description of a Cyberbully or Online Harasser

A person who engages in the following behaviours would be accurately described as a cyberbully or online harasser. Their actions go beyond mere criticism or calling out bad behaviour and cross into deeply invasive and harmful territory. Here's a comprehensive breakdown:

Terms and Descriptions

• Cyberbully:

  • Engages in online harassment, often targeting individuals' personal lives and appearances.
  • Uses social media to publicly shame or humiliate others.
  • Intends to cause emotional distress and harm rather than constructive criticism.

• Online Harasser:

  • Repeatedly targets an individual with hurtful, threatening, or humiliating messages.
  • Uses personal information against the target to cause maximum damage.

• Troll:

  • Deliberately provokes others online by posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or off-topic messages.
  • Seeks to elicit strong emotional responses, often at the expense of the target’s well-being.

• Cancel Culture Perpetrator:

  • Actively participates in or leads campaigns to "cancel" or ostracise individuals.
  • Focuses on past mistakes or personal attributes to undermine the target’s reputation and social standing.

• Digital Stalker:

  • Engages in invasive investigations of an individual's past.
  • Pays for ancestry searches and arrest records to gather unflattering information.
  • Contacts the target's family and acquaintances to dig up more details.

Key Characteristics

• Belittling Based on Appearance: Focuses on physical attributes to demean and degrade the target.
• Exposing Past Mistakes: Digs into personal history to find mistakes or embarrassing moments and publicises them.
• Public Shaming: Uses social media to broadcast the target’s perceived faults, aiming to rally others against them.
• Invasive Investigations: Goes to great lengths to unearth personal and often irrelevant information about the target, including paying for ancestry searches and accessing arrest records.
• Harassing Family and Friends: Contacts the target’s family and acquaintances to gather more information, dragging up people from their past to further the harassment.
• False Pretense: Claims to act for the community’s benefit while primarily seeking to harm the target.

Impact

• Emotional Harm: Causes significant emotional distress, anxiety, and possibly depression for the target.
• Social Isolation: The target may feel isolated and ostracised, both online and in real life.
• Reputation Damage: The target’s reputation and social standing can be severely damaged, affecting personal and professional relationships.
• Invasion of Privacy: The target’s privacy is grossly violated, leading to feelings of vulnerability and fear.

Deplorable Behaviour

• Deeply Invasive: The extent of the investigation into the target’s personal life, including paying for records and contacting family, is a gross violation of privacy and is deeply unethical.
• Manipulative and Malicious: The intent behind these actions is to manipulate public perception and inflict as much harm as possible, rather than to seek justice or promote positive change.
• Dehumanising: Reduces the target to their past mistakes and personal flaws, ignoring their humanity and potential for growth.

Flipping the Narrative: Turning Victims into Villains

Definition and Characteristics

When the victim of a breach of confidentiality or targeted bullying reacts or retaliates, the aggressors often flip the narrative. They portray the victim's response as evidence of their character flaws, framing them as the real bully. This tactic is a form of gaslighting, designed to confuse and further manipulate the situation to the aggressors' advantage.

Intent

The intent behind flipping the narrative is to deflect blame and avoid accountability. By casting the victim as the villain, the aggressors seek to maintain their social standing and justify their own behaviour. This manoeuvre is also intended to rally others to their side, reinforcing the original bullying or shaming campaign.

Impact

Flipping the narrative can have devastating effects on the victim. It not only invalidates their feelings and experiences but also isolates them further. The victim may feel doubly attacked—first by the initial breach or bullying, and then by the public perception being manipulated against them.

Example

Imagine a witch who, after being publicly shamed by a former friend for private venting, decides to defend themselves online. The former friend and their supporters then seize upon this defence, claiming it is aggressive and bullying behaviour. They use phrases like "See? I told you they were a bully," twisting the victim's attempt to set the record straight into further justification for their own actions.

Fabricating Claims of Bullying and Harassment

Definition and Characteristics

In some cases, the perpetrators of bullying or shaming fabricate claims of being bullied or harassed themselves. They use these false claims to rally support and deflect attention from their own actions. These fabricated claims are often unsupported by evidence, such as messages, videos, or comments, but rely on the persuasive use of language and emotional appeals.

Intent

The intent behind fabricating claims is to manipulate public perception and gain sympathy. By portraying themselves as victims, these individuals seek to shift the focus away from their own harmful behaviour and create a protective barrier against criticism.

Impact

Fabricating claims can further harm the actual victim by casting doubt on their experiences and making it more difficult for them to seek support. It also erodes trust within the community, as people become sceptical of genuine claims of bullying and harassment.

Example

Consider a scenario where someone, after being called out for their own bullying behaviour, begins to claim they are the ones being harassed. They post emotional messages online, alleging that they are being targeted, yet provide no concrete evidence. Despite the lack of proof, they manage to rally a group of supporters who defend them and attack the real victim.

Understanding the Dynamics: Former Friends Turned Accusers

It’s important to recognise that many so-called bullies were once good friends with the very people now calling them out. This change in dynamics often happens after a falling out or disagreement. The fact that these individuals were once close friends and are now being accused suggests that the call-out is more likely motivated by personal vendettas than by genuine concern for community ethics.

Intent

The intent behind such call-outs is often malicious. Former friends may seek to publicly shame their ex-friends out of spite, anger, or a desire to elevate their own status within the community. This behaviour often stems from unresolved conflicts and personal grievances or in some cases, the fact that the victim of the bullying may hold information that the bully fears getting out, so therefore, reducing their following, poking holes in their integrity, work in their favour so that if they do retaliate, they are not believed.

Impact

These call-outs can have devastating effects on the accused, who may feel deeply betrayed, isolated, silenced. It undermines trust within the community and can create a toxic environment where personal vendettas are played out publicly, harming everyone involved.

Example

Consider a group of witches who were once close friends but had a falling out. One member begins to call out another on social media, accusing them of unethical practices, sharing their private conversations, albeit only sharing the victims side of the conversation never their own. The accused feels betrayed and isolated, and the community is drawn into a conflict that is more about personal grudges than genuine concern for ethics.

Reflect Before You Act

Before engaging in public discourse about someone's behaviour, consider your motivations and the potential impact on the individual. Ask yourself if your actions are likely to lead to positive change or if they may cause unnecessary harm. At the very least, if you know the person being called out, ask them directly for an explanation. 

The Type of Person Who Disregards Reflection

Characteristics

• Seeking Praise: Individuals who disregard reflection and act impulsively to gain praise or favour are often seeking validation from others. They may be driven by a desire to be seen as supportive or heroic, even at the expense of fairness and integrity.
• Need for Approval: Such individuals may have a strong need for approval from their peers or from a particular group. This need can override their sense of right and wrong, leading them to act in ways that garner favour, regardless of the consequences.
• Lack of Empathy: Acting without reflection often indicates a lack of empathy. These individuals may not fully consider how their actions will affect others, focusing instead on their immediate goals of gaining praise or support.
• Opportunism: They may be opportunistic, using situations to elevate their status or align themselves with influential people, regardless of the truth or fairness of the situation.

What It Says About Them

• Inconsistent Integrity: Disregarding reflection to seek praise suggests inconsistent integrity. Such individuals may shift their values and actions based on what will earn them the most approval, rather than maintaining a consistent ethical stance.
• Manipulative Tendencies: This behaviour can indicate manipulative tendencies. By acting without reflection, these individuals manipulate situations to their advantage, often at the cost of others' well-being.
• Short-Term Thinking: They may prioritise short-term gains over long-term relationships and trust. The immediate reward of praise or favour can blind them to the long-term damage their actions may cause.
• Ego-Driven: Their actions are often ego-driven, focusing on boosting their self-image rather than considering the broader impact on the community or the individuals involved.

Promote Positive Change

Whenever possible, focus on promoting positive change rather than tearing others down. Constructive criticism, offered privately and with empathy, can be more effective than public shaming or bullying.

What You Should Do When You See These Types of Videos

When you come across videos that involve bullying, shaming, or other harmful behaviours, it’s important to respond thoughtfully:

1. Pause and Reflect: Take a moment to consider the content and the context. Reflect on the motivations behind the video and its potential impact on the individuals involved.
2. Avoid Engaging: Resist the urge to engage in the comments or share the video. Engaging can amplify the harm and give more visibility to negative behaviours.
3. Report the Content: Use the platform’s reporting tools to flag content that violates community guidelines or promotes harassment and bullying.
4. Support the Victim: If you know the person being targeted, reach out to offer your support privately. Let them know they are not alone and that they have allies.
5. Promote Positive Content: Share and engage with content that promotes positive, respectful interactions within the community. By amplifying positive voices, we can help create a healthier online environment.
6. Educate Yourself and Others: Understand the dynamics of online bullying and shaming. Share this knowledge with your community to foster awareness and encourage better behaviour.

By taking these steps, we can help reduce the prevalence of harmful behaviours online and create a more supportive and inclusive community for all practitioners. 

As you navigate the complexities of WitchTok, it's essential to consider the integrity of the people you choose to support. Reflect on how they have turned so maliciously on individuals they once held in high regard and those they had a close friendship with. This behaviour raises a critical question: What’s to say they won't do the same to you?