Last week, Shad Moss (AKA Bow Wow) opened up to Twitter about his depression and anger wrought by cyberbullying from online gossip blogs and their general audiences.
Moss also expressed suicidal thoughts as he answered questions from concerned fans on his timeline.
With only the intent to console Moss after his apparent breakdown, followers were met with a more unexpected response.
For those who have not been keeping track of Bow Wow’s appearances in media, his confession of depression and agony may seem sudden.
If you don’t know who or what has caused Moss so much pain throughout much of his adult life, here’s a list of the most popular jokes against the rapper and actor.
Vine
The Vine taken by Moss in 2013 showed him walking in front of a group of children on a field trip as he said they didn’t know it was him. The video was met with major backlash from the internet as they said the students did not know who he was with the implications that he had lost his celebrity status.
Rental Car Fiasco
http://images.complex.com/complex/images/fl_lossy,q_auto/v1/ybnqjuj4wcgmulsojurj/bow-wow-car-two
Moss’s unlucky streak continued when a rental car company decided to claim ownership of the luxury car that Moss had implied was his. Social media quickly shared the photo and laughed at the humiliation by a rental car company.
Name Change
https://www.vladtv.com/article/193367/twitter-rips-bow-wow-over-name-change-outfit-at-bet-awards
Soon after the rental car incident, Moss decided he’d like to go by his legal name, Shad Moss, and leave Bow Wow behind as it represented a younger era of his life. Twitter, however, used memes to show their disapproval of his name change and the outfit he wore to the BET awards.
#BowWowChallenge
Moss underwent many more displays of public humiliation throughout the years but the most notable and recent incident is when the internet alleged that he lied about flying in a private jet. The #BowWowChallenge began trending on Twitter as the internet would participate in lying about or exaggerating their possessions in efforts to look more distinguished.
All of these events paired with the decline of Moss’s reputation, led to this:
Though supporters scramble to share kind words with Moss, the damage has already been done. This is the reality of cyberbullying.
Oftentimes, celebrities are disregarded when the topic of bullying or cyberbullying is involved as if their money makes them immune to the effects bullying can have on one’s mental health. It usually takes death, suicide, or a public breakdown much like Moss underwent to bring awareness to the power of words that each individual possesses in social media.