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Talking About Online Life With YouTuber HelloItsAmie

Amie's message of determination in following your dreams is an inspiration! Remember to follow her advice - never let anybody else stop you doing what you truly want to do! If you are affected by any kind of negativity online, follow the links throughout this article to our various support services.

What is your favorite social media platform and why?

My favourite social media platform is YouTube. This is because YouTube is a lot more personal than other platforms, on YouTube you can interact with your viewers so much more! In addition to that, I love the filming and editing factors of YouTube which are things I have always been passionate about <3 Another reason for YouTube being my favourite social media platform is that I’ve grown up on YouTube, I’ve been creating YouTube videos since I was just 11 years old!

Do you think social media is a blessing or a curse?

This is such a hard question! Personally I would say social media is a blessing. For me I would 100% say it is a blessing as I have created a whole career for myself through social media, although I have received abuse online I let the positives shine through and will always see social media as a blessing. Also social media allows us to connect with people from all around the world which is such a beautiful thing!

Have you ever been affected by cyberbullying or online abuse?

Yes, as I post videos on YouTube I am exposed to a lot of people, the majority of them are lovely but there are a few that aren’t so nice. Of course as I am choosing to post the content myself I do expect people to comment their opinion, however, some people’s comments are extremely harsh or unnecessarily rude. I have also experienced online abuse from people who I’ve known from school, which is horrible to experience.

How does cyberbullying make you feel?

Cyberbullying makes me feel distraught. I can’t comprehend the fact that there are people who would go out of their way to make someone else feel unhappy or bad about themselves. However, you just need to remember that it says a lot more about them than it does about you, and they are the ones spending their time doing horrible things.

What advice would you give to someone being cyberbullied or abused online?

Please make sure you understand that what the bullies are saying and doing is to do with them and their problems, which they are projecting onto you – it’s not your fault at all. They are choosing to bully you from behind a screen as they know what they are doing is wrong, and are too scared to do what they are doing in person for that reason. Don’t let cyberbullying bring you down! You are an amazing person and (although it’s difficult) the best thing to do is to ignore them because they thrive on attention and it’s not worth your time! <3

What do you think needs to be done to reduce the amount of negativity on the internet?

First of all, people need to change. It’s disgusting that people think it’s okay to spread hate just because they are hiding behind a computer screen. They should be held more accountable. Also I feel that social media companies could do more to block comments that are detected as hate, and should be a lot more advanced about the types of comments they are able to detect. I think this will help because a lot of cyberbullying seems to be people jumping on the “bandwagon” when they see other people hating on someone, so if you cut out those comments in the first place, there won’t be opportunities for others to bandwagon.

What would your message be to someone who thinks cyberbullying is a joke?

Cyberbullying is not a joke. Cyberbullying can completely destroy somebody’s self confidence and therefore ruin parts of their life – does that seem like a joke?

Do you have a positive mantra or saying that you use to motivate yourself?

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts” is a positive saying that I use to motivate myself. This means that you are in control of your own happiness, all you have to do is have a positive mindset.

What words of advice would you give someone who wants to be a YouTuber, but is worried about being abused?

Do it. If you want to do something you shouldn’t let other people stop you. I completely understand how hard it is to receive hate and abuse online, however if you keep working at it you will achieve so many bigger things that will mean so much more than anything anyone else can say to you. I really hope you do start up on YouTube!

Thank you Amie for sharing your thoughts with us! If you need help with an online abuse related issue, you can visit our Cyberbullying Help Center or head to our Total Access Support section to learn more about the various ways we can help you with your particular problem. For further information about Cybersmile and the work we do, please explore the suggestions below.

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