Social media has been an immense help in these COVID times as it has helped reduce the distance for many during the lockdown. Alongside that, it has also aided in connecting people in need medically or economically. You must have seen various covid emergency posts coming up all over the social media platforms and they have been helpful to many as well because people want to help each other in these troubling times.
However, it seems that while social media has been a help, the people it connects with may not be all that helpful, in fact, they can be very much a source of harassment. This is exactly what happened with a girl last week.
Shasvathi contacts social media for covid emergency
Shasvathi Siva, an Indian girl was worried about her aunt’s health ever since she contracted COVID. Everyone is experiencing different extent of COVID so while doctors are suggesting quarantining at home. When the health worsens severely, patients have to be taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, however, hospitals are full and are lacking enough ventilators to accommodate patients.
So for this reason, Shasvathi decided to take on the help of social media. Within a few hours, she had found the ventilator for her aunt.
A ventilator has been arranged in the same hospital. Thank you all immensely for all the help and contacts. So grateful. 🙏 https://t.co/mmgmEv16Yd
— Shasvathi Siva (@shasvathi) April 14, 2021
Situation goes critical
Within a couple of days, the health condition of her aunt went critical. They needed plasma donors for her. So once again, Shasvathi went to Twitter asking for people’s help. As it goes, several people reshared her request. And some of her friends even added her personal number for quick connection. But given how the men are, she ended up regretting it.
Need A+ blood donors URGENTLY at #Dombivili, #Mumbai – must have completed 28 days after recovery from #COVID for my aunt who's critical and on ventilator. #plasma
Please amplify and help. Thank you.
— Shasvathi Siva (@shasvathi) April 15, 2021
Instead of getting a plasma donor whom she urgently needed for a COVID emergency, people started harassing her. They asked her out on dates, giving her unsolicited comments, and wanted to know her relationship status.
Been looking for plasma donors, and my no has been around in some groups + stories. I've fielded calls from men asking me if I'm single, if I can share photos, my dp is nice etc, and 1 "friend" who said he'd help if 'at least now you go on a date with me'
Some men are DISGUSTING
— Shasvathi Siva (@shasvathi) April 15, 2021
She continued blocking all those numbers but they poured in without pause and the level of harassment kept heightening with time. She even got obscene and inappropriate pictures on her WhatsApp account.
Exhausted, she took to Twitter her experience and asked women to ensure their number never gets circulated on media even if it is an emergency because men do not even factor that when they want to harass.
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