Chrissy Teigen Death Threats: Sports Illustrated Model Calls On Social Media To Prevent Cyber Cruelty

By Staff Reporter | Oct 25, 2014 11:23 AM EDT

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Because of death threats on social media, Chrissy Teigen said goodbye to her Twitter followers. She was notorious for her sarcastic social network blows, however on Oct. 22; the Sports Illustrated model was bullied off from social media site.

Nowadays, social media platforms are used to increased transparency on the various issues and significant personalities in the world. With Internet access, everyone can participate in group discussions, conversations and debates.

However, increased transparency has its downsides, and John Legend's wife Chrissy Teigen braved the repercussion directly. According to Us Weekly, the vicious death threats started when she posted on Twitter about the fatal shooting at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

 "Active shooting in Canada, or as we call it in America, Wednesday," Teigen tweeted in an attempt to point out the gun violence in the United States. However, it was interpreted as insensitive by many of her followers.

After the alleged insensitive tweet, social media citizens bombarded Chrissy Teigen with negative posts and even death threats. Yahoo Style reported that the 28-year-old model was called "ignorant" and "dumb" during the social network backlash.

Chrissy Teigen further explained herself rather than ingratiating to the pestering and removing her posts. However, the abuse escalated rapidly and Chrissy Teigen even received death threats.

"Sorry you don't understand that is a knock at America and our issues with gun control. No one is minimizing the Ottawa shooting. ... I'm not apologizing. If you take it wrong, that is your fault," she posted.

Teigen continued to receive negative tweets. One of those is -

"Sorry Canada. Our Hollywood elites and its dumb models are idiots. Wish ISIS would give Chrissy a haircut," J.V President wrote.

In response to the vicious backlash, Teigen called on social media to "step up their game" to prevent cyber cruelty.

The incident is not the first time that Chrissy Teigen has gotten political on social media. According to ET, she is known to be opinionated and shares her thoughts on current issues. Teigen was even asked by GQ in 2013 if she regrets her sarcastic tweets.

 "All the time! But not really a regret that I thought it, just that I said it," she said.

The incident that Chrissy Teigen experienced that resulted to death threats mirrors a larger issue about cyber bullying and censoring one's opinion online. As said by Clemson University Psychology Professor Robin M. Kowalski, while self-expression is important, voicing opinions in an appropriate manner is much more of significance.

While Chrissy Teigen did not back down to the nasty comments and death threats, experts Kowalski said that the practice of proper conduct is more likely to provoke online decorum than a tempest of cyber bullying.

In the end, Chrissy Teigen accepted defeat and said goodbye to Twitter and decided to be on another social media site, Instagram.

"I feel sick. Bye Twitter. Taking my talents to instagram," she wrote on her final tweet.

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