Does 'Abusing' Players On Social Media Help?

The answer to the question in the title is, absolutely not. Like Leonardo DiCaprio once said but in a different context:

Where is the logic in online abuse towards anyone never mind players? Abuse doesn't get you anywhere nor does it help the person on the receiving end of the storm. Abuse on social media is a very common thing. It's totally acceptable for anyone to have an opinion on someone but that is completely different from online or verbal abuse, isn't it? For example, Leeds United goalkeeper Marco Silvestri made two mistakes against Bristol City late on which effectively cost us the game. I think it's fair for someone to state the obvious, have your very own justified opinion but leave it at that. There is absolutely no need to directly message the player or his close family members on how much you despise them for costing your team the game. That's football. It happens.

There's an argument I used to often say to others and in fact myself; never abuse someone personally if you haven't proved you're able to do it better yourself. That isn't me encouraging anyone either, it's for the people who believe they're innocent when clearly they aren't. Please look in the mirror.

Now I aren't here to screenshot posts on social media towards players because I am not the type to name and shame. You know who you are. What are fans for? To SUPPORT the team, obviously. You're there to encourage, cheer and drive on your team to perform to the best of their abilities. We're all in this together...so why can't we follow that? Don't think because a player has thousands of followers and receives hundreds of posts daily online that he won't read your negative, abusive one directed towards them. Especially if it's a number of people sharing their thoughts online.

I'm not telling you to do anything. I am writing this to prove a point. Input online can do a heck of a lot of damage to someone's confidence, you could either drive them on to think, I have hundreds of supporters behind me that I would love to do well for. Or, you could constantly put them down to the point they lose all confidence and belief in them self.

After reading this article, ask yourself this - Does 'Abusing' Players On Social Media Help?