Forms of abuse through WhatsApp that you should know

Abuse through WhatsApp is a recurring form of abuse that we cannot normalize. Sometimes the strategies are so subtle that we do not initially perceive any bad intentions. They only baffle us. As it does, for example, when they suddenly don’t respond to us or block us for a few hours or a day after being angry. Violence has many forms and they are not always so obvious.

After all, We continue to live in that society that assumes that abuse, for it to be true, must be seen on the skin.. However, attacks on a partner are not always seen with the naked eye, they are experienced on a psychological level and all of them leave the deep mark of trauma, humiliation and suffering that not everyone dares to report.

New technologies are that scenario in which abuse has occurred on a daily basis for years. Cybercontrol is the most common practice among adolescents and yet, not all our young people react to it or conceive it as a form of abuse in the couple…

Abuse through WhatsApp: would you know how to recognize it?

Abuse through WhatsApp is part of what we call cyber abuse. That is, they are a series of behaviors aimed at controlling, denigrating, manipulating and harming the partner through new technologies and, in this case, through immediate messaging.

There is a striking fact and that is that Not all people conceive that this type of dynamic is really a form of abuse.. Even today, many teenagers assume that if their partners control their cell phone use and want to know who they are talking to, it is a sign of affection. The absolute distortion of love and healthy emotional relationships are our pending issue among the youngest.

Now, studies such as those carried out at the Autonomous University of Madrid indicate that Between the ages of 18 and 30, more than 50% of this population group has suffered some type of cyberbullying. Abuse through WhatsApp is a classic. We analyze these dynamics.

Don’t leave me in sight: the urgency when responding

“Why do not you answer me? What are you doing?”. This is the first experience that many people encounter when they start an emotional relationship. What’s more, sometimes, it doesn’t even need to be our partner. There are friends and even family members who demand that we respond instantly to their messages.

You are “online” and you are not talking to me

There are those who cannot tolerate seeing how their partner is connected and online and it is not him or her that they are talking to. Distrust, anger, jealousy… This scene creates frustration in them and they do not hesitate to demand that they reveal who they were exchanging messages, audio or video calls with.

I get angry with you and block you for a few days

Another form of abuse through WhatsApp is to apply the well-known silent treatment. This dynamic appears especially after an argument or anger. One of the two decides to cut off contact, not talk, distance themselves and even block them from their contact list for a few hours or even days. They are situations of great immaturity that are quite disturbing.

Instill contradiction and suspicion on purpose

This is another maneuver that is as sibylline as it is effective, worthy of the movie By gas light. In this case, what one member of the couple does is send disconcerting and suspicious messages.

“We have to repeat yesterday, it was very good”, “see you this afternoon, I’m looking forward to continuing what we left off”. After a while They send us a new message to tell us that they have made a mistake, that those messages were not for us.

Abuse through WhatsApp: demanding intimate photos from you even if you don’t want to

The exchange of intimate photos is legal if both parties agree. However, sometimes, our partner can demand it from us even when we don’t want it or don’t feel like it. If we refuse, he will not hesitate to ridicule, criticize or threaten us.

Sexting is, in many cases, the most common form of abuse on WhatsApp. This practice appears when they address us with phrases like “If you loved me you would or I’m sure you’ve done it with your previous partners, but not with me.”

Track your locations

There are many couples who agree to share their locations with each other. It is lawful and respectable. However, In certain cases it can be used as a control and harassment strategy.

Knowing at all times where we are and besieging ourselves with questions about why we are in this or that place is a clear form of psychological abuse.

Mood swings as a form of siege through WhatsApp

New technologies and, specifically, messaging services have also become direct transmitters of our mood to other people.

In this way, one form of abuse through WhatsApp is that they send us, for example, between 30 or 50 messages in an hour to tell us how much they love us or miss us.

Later, not being able to answer each of them, anger arises. They can send several messages and delete them instantly to instill concern. Later, They can go from effusiveness to victimhood or aggressiveness in a very short time. “It is clear that today you have more important things to answer me, I thought you were different.”

As we can see, emotional manipulation practices via immediate messaging are a very effective way to cause harm. Right now these types of situations are the order of the day in adolescents and this is something that we must avoid.

Education and awareness is key. Let us teach that abuse occurs now more than ever in the digital universe.

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