Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar has once again spoken out against the menace of cyber bullying, stating that if culprits are not identified and held accountable, the abuse may reach reality. In talks with author Mihir Sharma during a joint session titled 'Cyber Bullies: Anonymity and Accountability' organised by the Population Foundation of India and Jaipur Literature Festival, she said the most devastating of all the negative comments are the ones that threaten either physical or sexual violence.
She said, “Social media gives people anonymity while bullying and abusing just about anyone and there is no accountability. The fact that social media platforms enable the abusers of women by not identifying them or holding them accountable is a recipe for disaster because it is just a matter of time before the virtual abuse seeps into real spaces.” She said she left Facebook entirely due to a few bad experiences. Zoya said she is reluctant to sign into the negative energy on Twitter due to the extreme levels of trolling and abuse she has faced, and has even had to switch off the comments on her Instagram accounts.
The filmmaker called for a sisterhood to rise against abuse when actor Rhea Chakraborty was hounded by the paps last year in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
