Cyberbullying is a serious thing, and unfortunately nowadays not many of us acknowledge it. We think that if we give our children a computer, a smartphone or a tablet, we are cutting off the noise in the house for a couple of hours, and they will find a place to play with others without literally playing with others – in theory, this sounds fun and safe. Well, it isn’t. In ‘hashtagwill’ we find out that cyberbullying may be one of the greatest threats the young generation is facing, even greater than artificially made food or childhood obesity. When kids go on social media, they want to make their voices heard and they feel the need to express themselves. That's a perfectly normal thing because times are changing, and so are the means of communication and interaction. Day by day, if we go on Youtube, we can see two or three kids going viral with their vlogs for doing basic activities in a funny or interesting way. Well, those stories seem perfect at the surface, but the truth is hidden somewhere off-camera, where every kid has to face a reality that wasn’t foreseeable when their projects started.
Per Sundström’s short could be the visual aid for a campaign against cyberbullying for the reason that we’ve seen it as an amazing instructive video in the first place. The problems young William is facing are, in great proportion, what every teen internet star is dealing with but sometimes is too scared or ashamed to talk about. The story in ‘hashtagwill’ has a sad ending, and it will make you realize that no one can imagine how harsh life is when you are young and still discovering the world around you in your own personal way, and someone silently tries to change your path in the worst way possible.
'hashtagwill' has the ability to change lives if displayed in the right places. As they do it with oral hygiene, for instance, every school should play this short in front of their students so they will understand how to deal with this 21st century problem, and most importantly, how to avoid being the victim of a heartless mind.
Written by Vlad A. G