Whether it's the Chongqing college tourism major who withdrew under the online alias "Die Leopard," or the once-famous "Fan Paopao" and "Guo Tiaotiao," all are victims of this online battlefield of violence.
Regarding controversial incidents, everyone can voice their opinions.However, the public's tendency to resort to "brick-throwing" and "human flesh searches" at the slightest provocation has derailed rational discourse about these events, steering it away from reality and reason.
Let us temporarily set aside the specific elements of each incident and focus solely on the victims of cyberbullying being subjected to "human flesh searches" and "brick-throwing," analyzing only the malicious acts of online vigilantes. This leads us to a terrifying conclusion:Violence through the abuse of speech power and illegal personal threats. What's even more shocking is that nearly half of this irrational abuse and intimidation comes from our younger generation, including students still on campus.
Verbal violence has become a dark "trend" in the online world. The frequent outbreaks of "brick-throwing" and "doxxing" have almost become a form of entertainment for cyber mobs. The involvement of college students, combined with the violent impulses of adolescence and the long-term pent-up energy within them, has produced the most intellectually active, quickest to react, and most information-savvy—arguably the most "excellent" cyber mobs: the teenage cyber mobs.
Some attribute the existence of youth cyber mobs to the erosion of traditional morality in real life, others to a pseudo-moral syndrome of online indifference, while some view it as an inevitable consequence of chaotic online order. In my opinion, regardless of how we critique cyber mobs, we cannot ignore the reality that the psychological violence inherent in mob behavior—even when treated as entertainment—has begun to threaten the legitimate rights and interests of citizens in the real world.
From a criminal psychology perspective, the violent tendencies of cyber mobs—driven ultimately by entertainment—share common ground with criminal psychology, exhibiting strikingly similar components that carry a high risk of translating into real-world criminality.Examining China's online mobs, particularly the university student segment among them, inevitably raises concerns about such severe violent tendencies. Recent viral online violence incidents reveal mobs acting on momentary anger, whims, or pure impulse—irrational cyber-assaults that reflect excessive entertainment-driven motives and adolescent restlessness.
The threats, verbal abuse, and personal attacks perpetrated by online mobs under the influence of irrational, near-criminal violent impulses constitute a factual violation of citizens' lawful rights and interests. Yet how should we address such a large number of "offenders," such severe incidents of online violence, and—more fundamentally—the alarming psychological issues among adolescents involved?
"The crime does not lie with the multitude" is a principle long upheld in China's ancient legal system. What is truly heartbreaking is that this "multitude" consists of our hopes—the future pillars of our nation. Examining a specific incident, the case of "Diebao" (online alias), a third-year tourism student at a Chongqing college, reveals that those who first took his words out of context, attacked him, and conducted a doxxing campaign were his own classmates and friends.What exactly are these college students—who should be outstanding individuals poised to become pillars of society—engaged in? Does the violent streak in their hearts, their entertainment-driven violent mentality, truly reflect a deficiency in moral and legal education? This is likely the reality we dread to see yet must confront.
By examining this uncomfortable truth, we ponder: What further troubles might cyberbullying bring? How should we confront it? Moreover, has the entertainment-driven nature of online violence placed some of our youth at odds with public safety? Just days ago, we seemed to be criticizing police for searching schools for suspects.Today, confronted with such severe youth violence and the entertainment-driven tendencies toward violent crime, we gain deeper understanding for police actions and must undertake profound reflection on our youth.