Jason Arday. A tragic and unnecessary death. Online abuse.

I already knew of Jason Arday.

I knew his story — the autistic boy who didn’t speak until 11, learned to read and write at 18, and went on to become an academic, becoming the youngest Black professor appointed at Cambridge at just 37.

What I didn’t know was what had been unfolding around him recently.

I hadn’t followed the headlines or the scale of the public conversation. So when I heard yesterday that Jason had died at just 41, I started reading.

And honestly, it was heartbreaking.

Because at some point, online scrutiny stops being scrutiny.

Jason’s family have described him as having endured a “campaign of sustained abuse” for more than three years and has asked for it to stop.

But, when did being talked about publicly start meaning someone loses their right to be treated like a human being?

The internet makes it feel like individual actions don’t matter.

“I only shared it.”

“I only commented.”

“I only made a joke.”

But thousands of “onlys” still land on one person.

And that matters.

We can hold people accountable without destroying them. We can question without humiliating. We can care about truth without turning people into entertainment.

And we need to talk more seriously about what online pile-ons do to real people.

Because no one should become public property just because the internet decided they are.

Jason was also a father, partner, brother, uncle, son.

A human being.

And before we post, share or comment, maybe we should ask:

If thousands of people did what I’m about to do, what would it feel like to be on the receiving end?

Rest peacefully, Jason.

I’m so sorry for what you’ve had to endure, and I wish so deeply that it had been different for you.

There need to be laws that protect this from happening time and time again; it’s unethical that an individual gets unbearable online abuse with no action to stop it.

When will we finally learn?!

Comments

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