When the Internet Turns Cruel: Fat-Shaming, Classism, and the Online Bullying of the Mentally Ill and Disabled

The internet was supposed to be our great equalizer — a place where everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, could speak freely and connect without limits. But somewhere between the hashtags and the highlight reels, it became something darker.

Today, online spaces have turned into breeding grounds for cruelty — a digital arena where people tear each other apart for likes, retweets, and viral moments. From fat-shaming and classism to the mocking of mental illness and disabilities, the line between humor and hate has been blurred beyond recognition. And we need to talk about it — not in vague “be kind” slogans, but in real, uncomfortable truth.

The Epidemic We Don’t Want to Admit: Digital Cruelty as Entertainment

We’ve reached a point where pain is content. Where someone’s breakdown becomes a meme. Being “relatable” online often means making fun of someone else’s struggle.

There’s a cruelty that hides behind screens — an ease with which people type out comments they’d never dare say to someone’s face. The anonymity of the internet gives people courage to be heartless. And for those who are already vulnerable — mentally ill, disabled, overweight, broke, or just different — that cruelty can cut deeper than anyone realizes.

It’s not just bullying anymore. It’s dehumanization, disguised as jokes, “opinions,” or “keeping it real.”

Fat-Shaming: The Public Humiliation Disguised as Concern

Let’s start with one of the most persistent and tolerated forms of online abuse: fat-shaming.

Every day, people — especially women — are ridiculed for their bodies. Comments like “she let herself go” or “he’d be cute if he lost weight” fill comment sections like a plague. And when you call it out, someone always jumps in with, “It’s about health.”

No, it’s not. It’s about power. It’s about a society that thinks people in bigger bodies don’t deserve respect, visibility, or love unless they shrink themselves to fit into the tiny box of what’s deemed “acceptable.”

And on the internet, that hatred multiplies. Influencers are torn down for gaining weight, while ordinary people are turned into viral punchlines because of how they look.

This isn’t motivation. It’s humiliation — and it’s never justified.

Classism: When Poverty Becomes a Punchline

If you’ve ever scrolled through TikTok or X (formerly Twitter), you’ve seen it — the subtle, snide digs that come with classism. People clown others for living in small apartments, for having “cheap” clothes, for working hourly jobs, or for not traveling to luxury destinations.

We’ve glamorized wealth to the point that poverty — or even modest living — is seen as failure. People mock Dollar Tree hauls, laugh at EBT cards, and drag working-class folks for trying to enjoy the same trends as everyone else.

But what’s really happening is projection. Society hates being reminded of struggle, so it laughs at those living it.And the truth is — those with the least often show the most resilience. But resilience shouldn’t be the price for dignity.

Mental Illness and Disability: The Most Silenced Targets

The cruelty doesn’t stop with class or body image — it gets darker when directed at the mentally ill and disabled.

There’s a certain ugliness in how people treat those whose challenges they can’t “see. ”Someone having a panic attack is “doing too much. ”Someone with depression is “lazy. ”Someone neurodivergent or disabled becomes a spectacle — mocked for how they speak, move, or look.

Even when creators with disabilities share their stories online to educate and inspire, the comment sections often turn vicious. People question their authenticity, accuse them of “faking it,” or make their conditions into jokes.

It’s cruel. It’s cowardly. And it’s not “freedom of speech” — it’s emotional assault.

No one should have to defend their existence to strangers who can’t comprehend a reality outside their own.

The Toll: What You Don’t See After You Log Off

Behind every cruel comment is someone who might cry themselves to sleep that night. Someone who deletes their post. Someone who quietly deletes their account — or worse, themselves.

Cyberbullying is not a “kids’ issue.” It’s a public health issue. Research continues to show that constant online harassment is linked to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide. And yet, every day, millions scroll past the hate like it’s normal — because it’s become normalized.

But it’s not normal. It’s never okay.

When We Laugh, We Participate

Silence makes us complicit. Every time we ignore cyberbullying, every time we watch someone get dogpiled online and scroll past without saying a word, we feed the machine.

Social media algorithms reward engagement — and hate gets engagement. The more people attack, the more visibility the post gets. It’s exploitation dressed as entertainment.

And the victims? They become casualties of the comment section.

We Can Do Better — But We Have to Want To

Change doesn’t start with new policies or “awareness months.” It starts with how we treat people, both online and off. We have to be intentional about empathy. That means:

• Stop making cruelty trend. Don’t share, repost, or laugh at people’s pain.

• Report harassment — even if it’s not happening to you.

• Check your tone. Before posting, ask yourself if it helps or harms.

• Educate, don’t humiliate. If someone says something wrong, correct them — but don’t destroy them.

• Normalize humanity. People don’t need to be perfect to deserve kindness.

To Those Who’ve Been Bullied or Silenced

You are not what they say about you. You are not your diagnosis, your body, your job title, or your bank account. You are a whole person — and your existence doesn’t need to be justified, defended, or explained.

Healing from online hate takes time, but never forget: their cruelty says everything about them and nothing about you.

At the heart of all this, the truth remains simple: Cruelty should never be a form of communication. Discrimination is not opinion. And making someone’s suffering go viral is not entertainment.

The internet doesn’t need more voices — it needs more heart. And maybe, if we start showing up with compassion instead of cruelty, we’ll finally build the kind of world this technology promised us in the first place.

For more stories, reflections, and real conversations on mental health, culture, and accountability, visit www.shalenaspeaks.com.