“Fugly.”

“Slut.”

“Gay.”

These are all just a small portion of the derogatory terms that teens come home to everyday on almost any device that allows internet access.

Social media is supposed to be a place to connect and have fun. It is not used to create war and spread hate. Posts are not only hurtful, but they can be untrue. In the case of “blank is gay,” homosexuality can be portrayed as something that is negative. People who try to make others feel bad are unhappy and go for the weaker victim. I came across many hate pages, especially on Instagram. What I find interesting is that some of the victims follow their own hate pages and like the posts made about them. They are trying to show that they are strong toward the subject.

On Instagram, you can see the locations of where people post if they allow it. I remember coming across a hate page about a girl. The location of the post on the hate page was the same exact location seen on her main account. People came to the conclusion that she created the hate page for attention, and she received negative feedback for creating it.

Students have different views on this topic. Some aren’t connected to social media. On the other hand, students have seen many hate pages or even had one made about themselves. Freshman Ricardo Soloranzo said that he had come across these hate pages multiple times, especially in middle school. He said it makes him mad because there is no point in making one.

“I’d be happy if someone took the time to make a page about me,” Soloranzo said.

“I think it’s stupid, and I would just ignore it,” freshman Suejin Yi said.

I use social media a lot. Over the last two years, about five to ten of my friends or people I know have had a hate page made about them on Instagram. One of them even accused me and others of making it. People who are behind these pages have a lot of bad energy and are probably unhappy about something in their lives. People who see the hate pages comment back mean insults. This is not the right solution.

A bully has so much negativity in them; they want to pass their pain on to other people. When the other person starts adding fire to the fuel, it makes everything worse. I understand that people may get mad or are just trying to back their friends up, but adding hate to hate is never going to have a positive outcome. Making peace is right. It confuses me when people say that they’re happy and they only want good vibes. Yet, as soon as someone brings hate into their day they can be completely different.

Hate pages on social media is a big factor to all the hate in teens’ lives. If you’re reading this and ever come across these pages, pause, think and calm yourself down. Be the bigger person.  Being strong isn’t insulting people, making up rumors or raging. Being strong is taking a stand and making a difference. If you’re adding more to the problem, people might think you want attention, you’re insecure or you’re crazy. Stopping all this unnecessary drama starts with you.