In a society and in the midst of an era dominated by apps and websites such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook it is hard to see the negative implications of each. Recently, social media queen and actor extrodinaire Lena Dunham announced that she would be removing herself from Twitter, allowing her assistants to keep her account running.

In a recent interview for the podcast show Re/code Decode, Dunham was quoted as saying “It truly wasn't a safe space for me, I think even if you think you can separate yourself from the kind of verbal violence that's being directed at you, it creates some really kind of cancerous stuff inside you.”

After being the victim of online abuse, and Internet trolls the creator of Girls decided to step away from Twitter, but maintains that she will continue to use Instagram as she finds it a “more positive community.”

Has social media evolved into a platform that no longer embraces our unique posts and perspectives? DoSomething.org states that 70% of students report seeing frequent bullying online, a statistic that is staggering.

The truth is that millennials have witnessed the growth of social media as a platform for both success as well as failure. Social media accounts have developed from a platform for self-expression, to a hub of Internet trolls and cyber bullies.

Whether you are a normal student attending college, or a celebrity that boasts millions of followers it seems as though no one is safe. Someone always has a point to make about the way you look, the images you post and the way in which you phrase your tweets or captions.

Yet the problem doesn’t just start or end with Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Although for each of those sites you need to claim an account to use it, there are other forms of social media where anonymous messages can carry a deadly impact.

Sites such as Formspring and Ask.fm where people can post anonymous statements or questions about you only perpetuate the cycle of online abuse. It is in our human nature to be curious, and to wonder what people think about you—yet not everyone is ready to handle the answers.

I remember logging onto my Formspring account the very end of my eighth grade year. We had just graduated, and I had posted the pictures on my newly acquired Facebook page. Within a few hours I had received messages on Formspring, and as I scrolled down my heart broke.

“Wow you’re fat.” 

“Looking a little pudgy, don’t you think?” 

My eyes fluttered from my profile picture, a smiling happy girl—wearing a dress she’d dreamed about for months—to the horrible messages in my inbox. I watched my self-image and my confidence crumble in front of me. The beaming eighth grade graduate wasn’t beaming anymore.

To this day, I look at that photo and can remember nothing but the comments I received on the days after posting it.

Although I am an avid user of all forms of social media, I understand the dangers and the repercussions of putting myself out there. Yet for younger generations, I worry about the new trend social media is taking.

It is never okay, acceptable, or justified to post something negative about someone else because you are unsatisfied with yourself or your conditions. In a world that has now allowed us to put ourselves on full view for everyone to judge, and see—we need to understand that there should be a certain level of respect and dignity when using social media.

Social media is not merely a place to keep your peers, family, and friends updated anymore. It is a fish bowl, and we are placed in the middle. With this newfound power, must come a newfound responsibility.

Be respectful, honorable, and kind. Although your comment may have the ability to be deleted, the message it portrays could stay with a person for the rest of their life.