Online businesses have opened the doors for people worldwide to indulge in trade. With lowered operational costs, minimal rent, and a broader customer audience, people have the opportunity to establish a business and make an income from anywhere in the world.
However, new inventions come with new problems. This is why e-commerce has its own set of limitations and problems despite having entirely revolutionized global trade. One such problem that significantly impacts an online business’s survival is cyberbullying, especially in the age where everyone has a scrutinizing eye on brands.
Continue reading this blog to learn about cyberbullying and how it affects online businesses.
What is Cyberbullying?
By definition, cyberbullying or cyber-harassment is a form of bullying done virtually through digital devices or online platforms. It involves intentionally targeting or calling out an individual, organization, or online business negatively to harm their reputation.
The most common form of cyberbullying is on mobile phones and social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Cyberbullying is one of the major causes of instability in the e-commerce world and has contributed to many online businesses closing their doors or rebranding.
How does Cyberbullying Impact Your Online Business?
Cyberbullying has become a major global discussion due to its detrimental effects on online businesses. It has become a growing concern for all kinds of online business owners, resulting in them struggling to fix their online reputation.
Your Online Business’ Reputation Gets Damaged
Social media trends and hot topics can spread like wildfire. Once your online business becomes the target of cyberbullying, your downfall could go viral within seconds.
A strong and positive reputation takes time to build; however, intense cyberbullying could crush it within moments. As a result, many brands find it almost impossible to regain their reputation and fail to survive as a consequence.
Loss of Your Sales and Customers
Many people’s livelihood relies entirely on the success of their online business. However, if your online business experiences cyberbullying, the stained reputation could cause a drastic decline in sales and profits. Moreover, once your customers start looking for alternate brands, chances are they might never shop from you again.
Cyberbullying Could Continue for a Long Time
Unlike conventional bullying, which could end with a change of topic or excluding yourself from the situation, cyberbullying tends to keep multiplying quite quickly.
Cyberbullying provokes mob or herd mentality, which means your list of online attackers could keep growing due to people blindly following the online hate trend. These attackers probably do not know the context but simply want to be a part of the moment.
Your Online Business Could Shut Down
If the situation gets too out of hand, chances are your online business might not survive the constant negative pressure. Unfortunately, many online businesses have met this fate due to aggressive cyberbullying.
Final Thoughts
Cyberbullying can cause extreme mental distress to a person and can crush an online business within days. It can lead to a significant loss of sales and customers and make your business’s online survival extremely challenging.
However, early intervention, accepting mistakes where necessary, and not fueling the fire by responding with aggression humanizes your brand, allowing it to resurface after a cyberbullying incident.
