⚠️TW: mention of blood, SH and sexual/verbal abuse
when i was 14 i downloaded an app where you could chat with others of your interests (“communities” they were called) you made a profile and you got paired with people around the globe who matched your interests. you could call, chat, and post like any other social media platform. you made a profile and agreed to the terms of the app, and you were set to explore.
one day i was wanting friends, so i came across a profile that intrigued me. they had the same likes and dislikes of me, they had a lot of friends added and seemed really nice to talk to. when i clicked to join their chat, i was immediately greeted with nothing but kindness and compliments. “wow, your pfp is so pretty! what’s your name? do you have any triggers i should know about?”
for weeks the kindness continued and i was blinded by it. every day i’d be on my phone more and more to text this person. sometimes i would even log on through my school computer at the time and text them through that when i couldn’t use my phone in class. i became addicted without even knowing it. i am a relatively smart person when it comes to common sense, but when it comes to an online profile and the online world, at the time i had no clue.
once i got comfortable with this person, we began dating. it started off very healthy and well. i was happy because this was a first relationship for me. however, over time i saw this person become addicted to me, but in the negative ways. they spammed me when i couldn’t immediately answer them, demanded my other social medias so they could stalk me and make sure i wasn’t cheating. when we’d call they cry and tell me that their family life was awful, their parents beat her, and she demanded that i gave her my address so she could live with me. when i refused this every time, she’d send me photos of cuts on her thighs, blood stains on her hands as well, saying that she was going to kill herself if i didn’t help her. but the next morning, she’d be completely fine: “morning babe! how did you sleep?”
she would become extremely horny as the nights went on. she would send me nudes and demand that i send her some as well. i refused many times and told her that i was not comfortable with that. then the cycle happened again.
after a year of this i logged onto the app one day and ended it. i told her to please not contact me ever again. i blocked her on my socials before she said anything else. however, i forgot about her number, and she would send me threats of her killing herself, spam calling me until i blocked her number.
manipulation can be in many forms, and the internet doesn’t help with this. i’ve grown from my mistakes, and i am a better and much healthier person. please be safe