ask.fm - Am I missing something?

GetInTheHole!

Right..

Just got shown a conversatiion on ask.fm where somebody is being torn to shreds with personal abuse. The victim seems to respond everytime and the abuse just gets worse and worse.

I had never even heard of this site until earlier this week (due to the tragic circumstances in the news) and this is first time that I've seen it.

Questions:

1. Why would anybody even want to sign up for this sort of s***e?
2. How can conversations such as above be even let happen??

I'm feeling old and out of touch all of a sudden

El Guapo!

Because kids are imbeciles.

squod

Linky please?

Larianne

GetInTheHole! wrote: »

Right..

Just got shown a conversatiion on ask.fm where somebody is being torn to shreds with personal abuse. The victim seems to respond everytime and the abuse just gets worse and worse.

Kinda how some threads in After Hours go. :pac:

juan.kerr

Typically someone must report the content for the site administrator to consider removing it. There isn't someone sitting there reading / approving every message posted on sites like this.

We're talking about millions of users on sites like this.

Lenin Skynard

Seems like the appeal is people talking anonymously to each other.

With all the schoolkids on it they're probably hoping for "X fancies you" or whatever but they end up with "You're fat and your shoes are gammy".

Truly awful stuff and makes me glad I finished school before all of this kind of stuff started.

aaronjumper

Larianne wrote: »

Kinda how some threads in After Hours go. :pac:

Great contribution there Larianne :rolleyes:

Only joking. Don't hurt me.

Never heard of it. I assume it's a radio station or something?

B.A._Baracus

Its bad alright.
I would say its not just kids tho. Sure lets look to boards.ie - you can get a good few threads where people tear into the OP. I've seen a few in the Reltionship Issues forum on here and seeing how its a personal issue its easy to pull a string with an op.


Basically it comes down to jerks hiding behind keyboards IMO.

Ould Mr Brennan

I just visited that site after i seen this thread and hearing about it all week. Account closed already. Lasted about 1 min 30 secs. Absolute ****e

Yakult

Just signed up there to check it out, dafuq?

james142

http://ask.fm/about/tos

• "Physical persons must be 13 years or older to use this service."
• "You may only use ask.fm if you can form a legally binding contract with ask.fm and are not a person barred from receiving services under the laws of any applicable jurisdiction."

Thought you had to be over 18 to be able to form a legally binding contract :pac:

aaronjumper

Yakult wrote: »

Just signed up there to check it out, dafuq?

Let us know how it goes. My curiosity is getting the better of me.

Rayne Wooney

GetInTheHole! wrote: »

Right..

Just got shown a conversatiion on ask.fm where somebody is being torn to shreds with personal abuse. The victim seems to respond everytime and the abuse just gets worse and worse.

I had never even heard of this site until earlier this week (due to the tragic circumstances in the news) and this is first time that I've seen it.

Questions:

1. Why would anybody even want to sign up for this sort of s***e?
2. How can conversations such as above be even let happen??

I'm feeling old and out of touch all of a sudden

1. You got me. It seems to be a craze that the teenagers are following, they sign up to a website to get abuse for the craic I suppose

2. The website requires the person to sign up. Nobody is forcing people to make an ask.fm account, it's all in the Ts&Cs, not to mention the account maker has the ability to close the account at any time they want. If people sign up, they're signing themselves up to get anonymously abused and it's their fault IMO.

Chucken

http://www.leitrimobserver.ie/news/local/ask-fm-co-founder-lays-blame-for-cyber-bullying-on-crueller-irish-and-uk-kids-1-4328288

Angron

james142 wrote: »

http://ask.fm/about/tos

"Physical persons must be 13 years or older to use this service."

"You may only use ask.fm if you can form a legally binding contract with ask.fm and are not a person barred from receiving services under the laws of any applicable jurisdiction."

Thought you had to be over 18 to be able to form a legally binding contract :pac:

Kinda feels like ask.fm is proposing to you.

Johro

Not really enforcing this then:

'By way of example, and not as a limitation, you will not, directly or indirectly:

• Transmit any pornographic, obscene, offensive, threatening, harassing, libelous, hate-oriented, harmful, defamatory, racist, illegal or otherwise objectionable material or content;'

Laneyh

GetInTheHole! wrote: »

Right..

Just got shown a conversatiion on ask.fm where somebody is being torn to shreds with personal abuse. The victim seems to respond everytime and the abuse just gets worse and worse.

I had never even heard of this site until earlier this week (due to the tragic circumstances in the news) and this is first time that I've seen it.

Questions:

1. Why would anybody even want to sign up for this sort of s***e?
2. How can conversations such as above be even let happen??

I'm feeling old and out of touch all of a sudden

Well originally kids signed up to it to ask questions they wouldn't want to ask their parents or whatever.

Now it's more like hot or not from years ago where they have all kinds of ratings games
They are setting themselves up to get hurt. Even if people think they're hot it's not likely to be expressed in very flattering language

I don't think the site is moderated very well or at all and also the person receiving the abuse would have to flag the comments as inappropriate

To be honest I can see how the comments get out of hand quite quickly having seen the comments and abuse in YouTube and grown up forums ( for want of a better description).

I can't quite understand why someone would stay subscribed to it or take the abuse to heart but I suppose if all your peers are on there maybe you would

I'm not to sure how to reverse the trend other than parents being more involved in what their kids are getting up to online and society as a whole not tolerating online abuse and bullying

tan11ie

aaronjumper wrote: »

Let us know how it goes. My curiosity is getting the better of me.

It's just teenagers asking loads of ****e questions, the anonymous option seems to be a magnet for trolls or spineless cowards.

ScumLord

I don't understand why kids are going back to sites they're being bullied on. It's a big internet with many websites.

kerry4sam

tan11ie wrote: »

It's just teenagers asking loads of ****e questions, the anonymous option seems to be a magnet for trolls or spineless cowards.

I've noticed that too. I've an account with ask.fm to try and keep up-to-date with the goings on and tbh I don't think parents are being educated enough in what the children are getting involved in online. What some kids endure on that site alone is simply horid & if they are as quiet as I was growing up, then they're probably not speaking about anything negative they are enduring!

God only knows what they're really going through and with peer-pressure, some probably feel they must keep their accounts open or they'll be left out of the loop (so to speak)!
Children these days seem to have it tougher than I did growing up and I just feel sorry for some of them, especially if they are in any way meek or quiet

Max Power

Yakult wrote: »

Just signed up there to check it out, dafuq?

Post a link to your page and I'll ask you something

K-9

There was a similar site that a few Boards posters used a couple of years ago. A couple of posters had bother with it.

Larianne

K-9 wrote: »

There was a similar site that a few Boards posters used a couple of years ago. A couple of posters had bother with it.

That formspring - ask me anything site? Some posters still use it. Asking for trouble with that linked in your signature.

People hide behind their computer screens. If you met most of these online bullies in the street they wouldn't say boo to you.

Greenmachine

Parent not being educated: Hello it is up to parent to educate themselves. Computers should be in family rooms etc. Parents will keep tabs on what movies their child is watching or who they are friends with.
They should be able to keep tabs on their internet usage.

kerry4sam wrote: »

I've noticed that too. I've an account with ask.fm to try and keep up-to-date with the goings on and tbh
I don't think parents are being educated enough in what the children are getting involved in online. What some kids endure on that site alone is simply horid & if they are as quiet as I was growing up, then they're probably not speaking about anything negative they are enduring!

God only knows what they're really going through and with peer-pressure, some probably feel they must keep their accounts open or they'll be left out of the loop (so to speak)!
Children these days seem to have it tougher than I did growing up and I just feel sorry for some of them, especially if they are in any way meek or quiet

admiralofthefleet

girls have always been worse bullies then boys and always will be. they are born jealous

Kooli

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

girls have always been worse bullies then boys and always will be. they are born jealous

Huh? What's this in response to?

kerry4sam

Greenmachine wrote: »

Parent not being educated: Hello it is up to parent to educate themselves. Computers should be in family rooms etc. Parents will keep tabs on what movies their child is watching or who they are friends with.
They should be able to keep tabs on their internet usage.

That's all well and good to say, but not all parents are computer literate or even know how to type Greenmachine. Add to that then an online forum and they just don't know where to begin.
Not all children can turn to their parents for guidance in situations like this as they would feel the parents just won't understand. I've seen it happen first-hand and have had children say the same to me too IRL.

You have to bare in mind how new online forums, discussion forums actully are. Some parents make an effort with regards the likes of facebook and try adding their children to monitor their walls, but that's dying out now and not in full-steam as it once was.

Parents need more guidance themselves, they need to educate themselves yes - but how? Not all parents can afford to be taking on computer classes, but info given to them about online activities and dangers etc could be a start to aiding them in their understanding imo

Where To

It's amazing how even the most hateful vindictive premise for a site can still make ya smile.

I was just having a wee nosey there this evening, and in between the bullying, intimidation, perving and downright disgusting questions that are asked, you'll get a gem such as

'What attracts tourists to your city?'

That is probably the most stupid question you could ask an angst ridden teenage girl.:pac:

af_thefragile

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't understand why kids are going back to sites they're being bullied on. It's a big internet with many websites.

Same reason I keep coming back to boards I guess...

Madam_X

It's easy to say don't use them but kids are impressionable and don't want to be missing out on the latest craze all their pals are into. We were all teens and many of us weren't above this stuff no matter how much people like to believe they would be. The returning and returning is to defend themselves and not walk away/let the bullies have the last words I guess.

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

girls have always been worse bullies then boys and always will be. they are born jealous

Why are you with a woman so? If you had a daughter would you still say that? Load of sh1t.

msg11

Jail bait all over the place on that site !!

imitation

Its the most idiotic site I've seen like ever.. You put up your real name and picture, and you get bombed by anon people ? Sounds awesome.

aaronjumper

imitation wrote: »

Its the most idiotic site I've seen like ever.. You put up your real name and picture, and you get bombed by anon people ? Sounds awesome.

Yes you would have to be a bit strange to want to put up with that.

WindSock

I thought Ask.fm was an online radio station

Now where'sh me falsh teesh?

Jimminy Mc Fukhead

OP all the other girls in the class hate you.
And you're fat.

Hilly Bill

You can block anyone that gives you abuse on there so there is no need to see what some fool is saying about you. Its a pointless site.

af_thefragile

WindSock wrote: »

I thought Ask.fm was an online radio station

Now where'sh me falsh teesh?

That was last.fm I think...

Niles

Like others I can't understand why kids continue to use this site, still feel sorry for the victims though.

And why is it ask.fm, sounds like a radio station.

kowloon

If wearing your underpants on your face became the fashion tomorrow you couldn't stop the average school going teenager from doing it. Trying to stop them using whatever site is all the rage is similarly impossible and would be punishing the victim and not the people making the nasty comments.

K-9

af_thefragile wrote: »

That was last.fm I think...

Penny drops.

TeddyTedson

It's kind of like formspring as far as I've seen.
When it's anonymous of course you're going to get dick heads writing ****. I doubt they even mean half the **** the write to be honest.


As for the Ask.fm situation with young teenagers using it. I guess it makes sense that they'd like the whole soap drama of it all, "Somebody in school fancies you" type of stuff.
The problem is with the nasty stuff obviously not every kid is going to be able to handle it. But they probably want to know what people think of them or something....actually I don't have any idea. I'm 26 now and can't remember what way I thought at that age.

B.A._Baracus

WindSock wrote: »

I thought Ask.fm was an online radio station

Now where'sh me falsh teesh?

Me too :P
But why is it '.fm'?
I get the ask part sure. But .fm?

Niles

Where To wrote: »

I was just having a wee nosey there this evening, and in between the bullying, intimidation, perving and downright disgusting questions that are asked, you'll get a gem such as

'What attracts tourists to your city?'

That is probably the most stupid question you could ask an angst ridden teenage girl.:pac:

Hmmm...

*gets trolling idea*

Rovi

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Me too :P
But why is it '.fm'?
I get the ask part sure. But .fm?

.fm is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Federated States of Micronesia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.fm

TheBegotten

I don't get the whole "appeal to teenagers" argument, seems like a load of bollocks to be honest. If I wanted to be anonymously abused over the internet I would've gone to 4chan...

holystungun9

Dean09 wrote: »

Because kids are imbeciles.

Yes. The sooner women start giving birth to adults, the sooner the world improves.

gobnaitolunacy

Rovi wrote: »

.fm is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Federated States of Micronesia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.fm[/QUOTE]

I'm assuming it has sod-all to do with Micronesia?

Honestly, kids are fcukwits...signing up for a site to get the p*ss ripped out of them.

Esoteric_

Just tonight, my little sister showed me some of the things being said about her on this. She was being bullied in school until I had it out with her teachers, form tutor and principal over two weeks and threatened to get the board of management involved. It all settled down. She joined ask.fm. It started again.

Just made her delete her account a few minutes though and have got a tracker installed on the computer now for if she decides to go behind my back and make a new account.

It's just an easy way for people to be absolute cúnts, when they wouldn't have the balls to say that stuff in real life.

EoghanIRL

A site where one can post what ever they desire and be anonymous at the same is just asking for trouble to begin with .
I made an ask.fm acc just to see what would be said. I deactivated it with all the abuse.
I'm ****îng sick of keyboard warriors . If people has something to say they should grow some balls and say It to the person in real life .
Ask fm refuse to take responsibility for the tragedies in the news and IMO rightly so . If your getting bullied just delete it , don't respond. It's just common sense .
Also the girl who committed sucide recently because of ask.fm , her parents knew and they went to the guards.since its anonymous there's nothing they could do . But she kept going on it and replying to the abuse . Could anyone explain to me why someone would possibly do this?

westendgirlie

Can your internet service provider block access to certain sites if you request it?

If so, perhaps the time has come for the government or eircom, upc, vodafone et al to run an awareness campaign on TV and in the papers advising parents of measures they could take.

EoghanIRL

westendgirlie wrote: »

Can your internet service provider block access to certain sites if you request it?

If so, perhaps the time has come for the government or eircom, upc, vodafone et al to run an awareness campaign on TV and in the papers advising parents of measures they could take.

They could block it but proxies are so common anyways it wouldn't be worth it