The 8 types of abuse through WhatsApp (and their warning signs).

Summary of the types of abuse through WhatsApp that can occur through the virtual world.

Social networks are indispensable tools in our modern world, especially instant messaging. Applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram, the most used ones, have made cell phones stop being used for what they were conceived for: making calls.

It is much easier, faster and more convenient to send a message than not to call, which is why people prefer to resort to the first form of communication. In addition, with Whatsapp you can send audios, images, emoticons, videos and all kinds of multimedia resources.

All progress brings with it certain risks and misuses, with cyberbullying being the result of misuse of new technologies. There are several types of mistreatment through WhatsApp and similar applications that can be observed in the conversations through these apps, and we will explore them below.

The types of mistreatment through WhatsApp

The mistreatment through WhatsApp is a few ways in which cyberbullying and other forms of psychological violence manifest themselves.. These terms refer to the series of behaviors aimed at controlling, denigrating, manipulating and harming a person, especially a partner, through the use of new technologies. In this case, we are going to focus on one of the main instant messaging applications most used around the world, but it is also applicable to Telegram and any instant messaging application,

Despite much progress has been made in raising awareness about psychological abuse, the truth is that today not everyone sees this type of virtual dynamics as a real form of abuse or harassment. Many people, and worryingly many teenagers, assume that if their partners monitor their cell phone use or want to know who they are talking to, it is a way of showing affection.

New forms of abuse and mistreatment that have emerged with the spread of new technologies are not uncommon. In fact, there are already studies that indicate that the number of individuals who have suffered them is very high. An example of this is a study conducted by the Autonomous University of Madrid (2015) which indicated that. 50% of the population group between 18 and 30 years of age has suffered some type of cyberbullying, including mistreatment through the Internet.including mistreatment through WhatsApp.

The main forms of this type of abuse are the following.

1. Urgency to receive an answer

Phrases such as "why don't you answer me?" or "what are you doing?" are common in couple WhatsApp chats, this being one of the most recurrent experiences in people who have just started an affective relationship of any kind.. And not only with the couple, because it can also happen with friends or family members who require us to respond instantly to their messages. If they are repeated systematically, they can be considered a form of harassment.

2. Reproach being online and not talking to him/her.

There are people who do not take very well to see their partner who is connected and online but is not talking to them. This situation can lead to the emergence of very toxic feelings for the relationship, such as distrust, anger or jealousy.. The fact that the other person has not opened up to them to say hello at the very least causes them a lot of frustration and they do not hesitate to demand to know who they were talking to.

This can get worse, demanding that they send you screenshots of who they were talking to or the audios they have shared, to make sure that there is no other person in their life and that they are not cheating on them.

3. Blocking after an argument

Another type of abuse through WhatsApp is to apply what is known as the "law of ice", which is common after an argument or anger.. One of the two decides to cut off contact with the other, not talking, distancing themselves and even blocking them from their contact list for a few hours or days. This behavior shows great immaturity and is very upsetting for the blocked person, who feels that he/she does not have the slightest option to explain him/herself or receive explanations. The relationship is simply cut off unilaterally.

We should not confuse this with the healthy technique of zero contact after a breakup. This technique is used to, after breaking up with someone, avoid suffering when you see that person on social networks.This technique is used to avoid the temptation to talk to them again and open wounds that were healing. In the case of blocking, this is a form of abuse when the relationship is still active and is done as a kind of punishment for the other party.

4. Cybergaslighting

Another form of mistreatment is to resort to the famous "gaslighting". In this particular case, consists of sending disconcerting and suspicious messages to the partner, friend or victim in question to confuse them and make them doubt their own memory.. It can also consist of sending messages making it understood that one is proud of some trait or milestone that the other person has achieved and then telling him/her that he/she has made a mistake in the chat and that the message was not intended for him/her.

5. Forcing sexting

Sexting is a very common practice that consists of exchanging racy photos and videos. This exchange of intimate material is legal if both parties agree and there is a commitment that it will not be passed on to third parties.

However, especially between young people, it can happen that one of the partners requires the other to do it, even when he/she does not want to, either because he/she does not feel like it or because he/she does not feel comfortable..

Sexting has become one of the most common forms of abuse by WhatsApp and is evidenced in phrases such as "if you loved me you would do it" or "sure you did it with your ex, but you do not want to do it with me because you do not love me... "The person who demands it, in case of being denied this desire, can ridicule, criticize and even threaten the other party.

6. Location control

Many couples agree to share their locations with each other, by mutual agreement and without suspicion.. If there is reciprocity on the part of both or it is used with the intention of making sure that the other person is well or that if something happens to him/her to know where to go to look for him/her, it is licit and respectable. However, there are not few cases in which sending the location is used as a strategy of control and harassment, making sure that the other person is not at an ex's house or with a friend with whom he or she is having an infidelity.

Wanting to know where the partner is at all times and peppering them with questions about why they are there is another clear form of psychological abuse carried out through this instant messaging application.

7. Bombardment of messages

As the years go by, there is growing evidence that social networks and mobile applications social networks and mobile applications can negatively affect our moods if used irresponsibly.. Messaging services allow us to transmit our moods directly and in real time to other people, either in writing, with emoticons, with audio or directly with video conferencing.

A very recurrent form of abuse through WhatsApp is that they send us a lot of messages in a short time, such as 30 in less than an hour. The content of these messages can be very varied, ranging from messages of affection such as that they miss us or how much they love us to toxic and desperate comments such as, for example, that we are not talking to them or that we should be more attentive to them.

As there are so many messages said in such a short time, it is difficult for the other person to have time to answer them all, which makes the sender start to get desperate and angry. The longer it takes to reply to everything, the more catastrophic scenarios the sender sets up. This is when the strategy of sending messages and, after a short time, deleting them so that the other party sees them and is more attentive to the cell phone for fear of missing something (FOMO) begins..

Later, the sender of these messages can move from effusiveness to criticism or aggressiveness in a very short time, with phrases such as "I'm not a priority for you", "I see that you have more important things to do than deign to answer me", "If you care so much about me, why don't you read everything I send you"?

8. Asking for cell phone passwords

Couples and friends who have trust and maintain good communication between them do not need to know who the other person is talking to or not talking to.. Therefore, when a person asks for the password or unlock pattern of your cell phone to another person can be interpreted as a sign of distrust, jealousy and fear. Not respecting a person's privacy is abuse.

Demanding the password is not a form of abuse through WhatsApp in itself, but it can involve this application. The person interested in obtaining this password may want to gossip on his victim's WhatsApp, in addition to other applications such as Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or the image gallery to see if there is a photo of an ex or a racy photo of someone outside the relationship.

Conclusions and final thoughts

New technologies mean great advances for humanity but, as it has always been, progress implies certain risks that must be identified and solved. WhatsApp is a very useful instant messaging application, almost indispensable in our day to day life and which has overthrown the main utility of cell phones, which is nothing more than calling other people. Instant messaging is a more direct, fast and impersonal way of communication.

However, with all the good, there are several types of mistreatment through WhatsApp, cyberbullying behaviors relatively common among young people, especially teenagers, who make a less responsible use of new technologies.who make less responsible use of new technologies. Ironically, it is these same digital native teens whose skills with information and communication technologies are far superior to those of predecessor generations, including young adults in their twenties.

Education and awareness is key to prevent a generation that is more skilled in the use of new technologies than the next generation from using them so irresponsibly that even adults cannot avoid their harmful consequences for relationships and mental health.