Everyone knows that President Trump has given the word “bully pulpit” a new meaning. Teddy Roosevelt coined the term to recognize that he had the platform to be used well. Trump uses it to lash out in 140 characters. The most important way to squelch Trump’s Twitter mania and the horrible example it sets for cyber-civility may be two pronged. First, through court action pursuing him as a cyberbully. Second, through individual citizens who report his most offensive tweets to Twitter.
There’s a lot of legal precedent for pursuing teenagers who cyber bully. A few reads on Cyberbullying.org could make you cry. One of the most typical patterns is a teen being harassed so mercilessly that they commit suicide. The site keeps a state-by-state list of where cyberbullying is punishable by law. Trump is no teenager, but he certainly fits the pattern of one when it comes to his online behavior.
In addition to typically being the act of an underaged person, cyberbullying, by definition is repeated and intentional. The intent is to inflict harm. Trump’s MO is a bit different. He flits from victim to victim; venomous, but short term. A walk down Twitter’s memory lane quickly finds dozens and dozens including:
“.@ariannahuff is unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man- he made a good decision.”
“I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came… to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!”
And the infamous re-tweet about Megyn Kelly:
“Fox viewers give low marks to bimbo @MegynKelly will consider other programs!"
It’s when it comes to groups, not individuals, that we can make a better case for Trump being repeated, intentional and harmful . Think Muslims, Mexicans and Media as just a few of the targets. Can a GROUP be cyber bullied as well as a person? We might have a precedent.
Remember Citizens United? The Supreme Court upheld the right of corporations to spend money influencing political campaigns, ruling that these entities ought to have the same First Amendment rights as individuals to engage in “political speech.” That ruling made it possible for corporations, lobbyists funneling money, nonprofits and unions to be treated as people, arguably changing the face of our elections.
If corporations can be treated as individuals when it comes to campaign finance, why not cyberbullying? CNN’s running list of All the President’s tweets is a study in cyberbullying behavior against one group, the media. #fakenews is a campaign that’s intentional, repeated and meant to cause harm. You can read up on and report abusive behavior through Twitter.
As individuals, users of Twitter everywhere should get over the prurient interest in the President’s Twitter account and start reporting his offensive tweets. Most of the platforms have explicit rules against cyberbullying in their service agreements (Any private citizen would have lost their account privileges for a lot less abuse).
The President of the US cannot be given a free pass on good Internet behavior. And good Internet behavior is critical for our kids, our economy and our society. It’s time to stop rubbernecking his tweets and start reporting them. Cyber civility matters.
Robin Raskin is founder of Living in Digital Times (LIDT), a team of technophiles who bring together top experts and the latest innovations that intersect lifestyle and technology. LIDT produces conferences and expos at CES and throughout the year focusing on how technology enhances every aspect of our lives through the eyes of today’s digital consumer.