- dtac Safe Internet and Salmon Books jointly launch the printed version of HARSHTAG #BraveAgainstCyberbullying after releasing three of its short stories on online novel platform readAwrite and recording more than 1.87 million reads there
9 August 2022 – dtac Safe Internet, a pioneer in Thailand’s cyberbullying-prevention efforts, has partnered with Salmon Books and 10 Gen-Z writers to present thought-provoking stories that show how deeply entrenched cyberbullying is in digital life. The result of this partnership is HARSHTAG # BraveAgainstCyberbullying. Priced at Bt200, this compilation of short stories is now available at leading bookstores across Thailand and also at Minimore: bit.ly/3aVLJDa.
Becoming #BraveAgainstCyberbullying
In the wake of our global digital transformation, cyberbullying has intensified in many countries including Japan, Singapore, and the Philippines. Several governments have introduced comprehensive regulations to seriously combat its widespread threat. In Thailand, however, the situation is different. Despite Thai youth being the second-most cyberbullied, after Japanese youth, Thailand doesn’t yet have any clear rules to prevent or punish cyberbullying.
“Victims should be able to claim financial compensation under civil laws.”
“Sex education should cover diversity.”
“Schools should have rules on cyberbullying, with offenders being punished.”
“Stop describing only those who are slim and white as beautiful.”
“The public should raise awareness of and set new standards against cyberbullying.”
These are just some of the prevalent sentiments shared by 200,000 Gen-Zers in the recent #BraveAgainstCyberbullying campaign. Conducted as a part of dtac Safe Internet (https://safeinternetlab.com/brave/wall-of-change) project in June 2021, this crowdsourced campaign gathered young people’s opinions on cyberbullying from across Thailand and generated more than 1.44 million messages.
In collaboration with Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Economics, dtac went on to identify 205 of the most-supported solutions to cyberbullying generated during the campaign. These solutions were then analyzed and eventually led to the drafting of the Oath of Gen Z #BraveAgainstCyberbullying. Containing 23 points, this oath is Thailand’s first draft agreement on cyberbullying eradication.
Short Stories by 9 Authors Call for End to Cyberbullying
HARSHTAG #BraveAgainstCyberbullying is the latest book from the dtac X Salmon Books collaboration. Inspired by the Oath of Gen Z, this book is a compilation of short stories, chat-style novellas, and cartoons around the theme of cyberbullying.
Covering various genres, all nine stories in the book clearly demonstrate why cyberbullying poses a problem and the enormous emotional pain people endure at the hands of cyberbullies. Body-shaming, sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and privacy infringement are just some of the types of bullying the story characters endure. Members of Gen-Z, all 10 contributing authors share the aspiration to be #BraveAgainstCyberbullying.
Narisapongse Rakwattananont, Author of “Family Comes First”
This author’s story invites us to consider that bullying can happen even in families. The closer the relationship, the more pain the bullied ones feel. If these victims were to speak up, they would need billions of words. The story is an attempt to give voice to such victims.
Chotika Parinayok
This creative loves telling stories through text, photos, and moving pictures. Graduating from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, she has already published two books – PARIS IN PAIRS and I don’t want a new chapter, I like the old one. A victim of bullying, she confesses she also used to bully others by posting their photos on social media. These experiences have given her important perspective on this complex issue.
Thanachart Siripatrachai
Working as a writer and a director at Salmon House, he often finds his colleagues use his social-media account to post strange content whenever he forgets to sign out. These prank posts usually attract more “Likes” than his own posts.
JittiRain
This author finds her work progresses significantly whenever she is away from home. Despite using social media for work on a regular basis, she sometimes feels afraid of using it in her personal life.
serene seabond
With a keen interest in history, this freelance author loves writing political novels and interviews. She hates it most when she feels gaslighted – an all-too-common experience in life and online.
summer December
This creative and marketer spends her free time on writing novels, because writing allows her to put her many thoughts in order. As she writes, she understands herself, others, and the world better. She even has empathy for those who bullied her and left her to struggle with low self-confidence for 10 years.
afterday
Graduating with an interior-design degree, he is a professional gamer. Whenever he is in front of a camera, he prefers not to smile. Why? Because someone said his teeth were not beautiful.
Jirat Prasertsup
This author has penned seven books, comprising short stories, novels, and travel diaries. His latest book is titled Prawatsat Ti Perng Sao (History That’s Just Turning Sad). He is also an arts columnist and screenplay writer, and has even produced documentary movies. His first solo exhibition Our Daddy Always Looks Down on Us was held at Cartel Art Space in 2020. The event led to a barrage of cyberbullying for the first time because so many netizens were displeased with the title of his exhibition. As a devout Buddhist, though, Jirat is very forgiving and says he has overcome the wave of hatred just fine. Now he is ready to roll out his second solo exhibition, Fa La-Ong or From Dawn Till Dust (2022).
TuaMae*
A writer of love stories, this author believes love is important but cannot be everything. Bullied for his physique throughout his life, he now realizes that words are powerful only when the intended recipients allow them to be.
Sa-ard
This cartoonist has listed more than 10 books in his profile. Though rarely a target of bullying himself, he admits he has bullied many people both on screen and in real life.
