Cyberbullying is a form of bullying using electronic means. Cyberbullying is also known as online bullying. It is increasingly common, especially among teenagers. Cyberbullying is when someone bullies or harasses others on the internet, particularly on social media sites. Harmful bullying behaviors can include posting rumors, threats, or a victims personal information. Several US states and other countries have laws for cyberbullying.
The definition of cyberbullying is “An aggressive, intentional act or behavior that is carried out by a group or an individual, using electric forms of contact, repeatedly against a victim who cannot easily defend themselves.” There are many ways to describe cyberbullying The term cyberbullying is sometimes used synonymously, though some people refer specifically to harassment among others in a school environment. Manuals to educate the public, teachers, and parents say, “Cyberbullying is being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material using a cell phone or the internet.” Research has identified basic definitions and guidelines to help recognize and cope with what is regarded as an abuse of electronic communications.
Cyberbullies may disclose victims’ personal data on websites or forums- called doxing or may use impersonation, creating fake accounts, comments or sites posing as a target for the purpose of publishing material in their name that defames, discredits or ridicules them. This can leave the cyberbully anonymous, which can make it difficult or impossible for them to be caught and punished for their behavior, although not all cyberbullies maintain their anonymity. Text or instant messages and emails between friends can also contribute cyberbullying if what is said is hurtful. The recent rise of smartphones and mobile apps yielded a more accessible form of cyberbullying. It is expected that cyberbullying via these platforms will occur more often than through more stationary internet platforms.
In addition, the combinations of cameras and internet access and the instant availability of these modern smartphone technologies yield specific types of cyberbullying not found in other platforms. It is likely that those cyberbullied via mobile devices will experience a wider range of types of cyberbullying compared to those who are exclusively bullied elsewhere. Teens argue that some events categorized as cyberbullying is simply drama. Danah Boyd writes, “While teenagers denounced bullying, they -especially girls- would describe a host of interpersonal conflicts playing out in their lives as “drama”. Cyberbullying can take place on all kinds of different social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, and any other outlet where you are able to connect with others through a screen.
According to a 2013 Pew Reseach study, eight out of ten teens who use social media now share more information about themselves more than they have in the past. This includes their location, images, and even contact information. In order to protect children, it is important that personal information such as age, school, phone number, etc. be kept confidential. Information cascades happen when users start passing along information they assume to be true, based on the information of what others are doing. This can be accelerated by search engines’ ranking technologies and their tendency to return results relevant to a users’ previous interest. This type of information spreading is hard to stop.
Information cascades over social media and the internet may also be harmless and may contain useful information. To increase the prominence of favored posts sorted by the most popular searches, done by linking to those posts from as many other web pages as possible. An example includes the campaign for the neologism organized by the LGBTQ lobby. This is so that other resources can be advertised by putting them into a category of your interests. This can be a bad thing because it is hard to track where specific posts come from.
A majority of states have laws that explicitly include electronic forms of communication within harassment laws. Most law enforcement agencies have cyber-crime units and internet harassment is often treated with more seriousness than reports of physical harassment. Health and resources can be searched by state or area. Although it may be hard to give the bully a punishment, there are still many things that can be done to make the bullying stop. You can also look for help from school counselors, or a trusted adult.
Many victims of cyberbullying are also getting bullied inside of school. Whether it is name-calling, saying spiteful things to one another, or an attempt to physically hurt someone, it is considered bullying. Bullying in schools and online is growing at outrageous rates. If the rate of bullying is growing, so will the number of suicides. Studies show most cases of suicide or attempts for suicide are linked to being bullied at school or at home. Being bullied at home by parents or other residents in the household can lead to the victim going to school and acting out the same behavior toward other students.
In conclusion, the more someone is bullied the more likely they will get involved in bullying others, or consider committing suicide. This is a big problem around the world and it needs to be stopped. Some ways to prevent or stop bullying is to tell the person bullying to stop being mean and stand up for yourself or someone who is being bullied. If this doesn’t work always go to a trusted adult for help.
