Bullying – there are several types to it from: regular bullying, physical, verbal and cyberbullying. Every type of bullying still has an impact on everyone who has been under the wrath of a bully. Bullying changed from being person to person to an online act as the internet started to develop. The internet was born and officially made its way into the world causing a world of Cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying takes places in several different area: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Text Messages…etc. Middle School and High School is the most common place for Cyberbullying to happen because young teens can be targeted for trying to find his or her discovery. Young girls have a greater rate “that they felt their reputation was affected by the Cyberbullying” (Edwards 2.1 p2) and they wouldn’t have many or any friends which inflicted them to start having suicidal thoughts. Middle or higher schoolers are attached to their phones every second of the day. Not a second goes by without them looking at it or reading a comment on his or her picture they thought was really good to post. The competition to be the most popular and to get the most likes is bring violence to the internet. In order to get what he or she wants they will comment hateful things on his or her competitors post to make them look bad. Cyber bullying became a popularity contest between everyone. However, students that don’t care about of the popularity post just to post for themselves but he or she will get hate comments. He or she are receiving these comments because he or she isn’t popular or is an outcast. Cyberbullying can have severe outcome by teen having depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts.
Once Cyberbullying starts it is likely to continue since he or she doing the bullying can be anonymous. The victim of these acts most likely won’t come forward about the bullying due fear and what will happen afterwards. Due to not talking about what is happening in his or her life he or she could become distant, aggressive, have mood swings because he or she is trying to deal with what is happening to him or her. Some students may speak up about what is happening to he or she but not a lot will be done about it. He or she can easily create a new account or have a friend continue his or her work for them. There are always ways around the internet to find a way to bully someone. Researchers have found that “cyber victimization was only weakly associated with symptoms of social anxiety, not depression.” (Edwards 2.1 p3) A part of cyberbullying is wanting to fit in. Before posting a picture online he or she may go through a process of filtering it so that it will look better or photoshop him or her. The posting online can be fake or even worse other students will take other students and photoshop them. Students who are dealing with cyberbullying go through a phase on how he or she handles it. Not all media on the internet can be harmful. There can be a positive side to using the internet other than being bullied.
Social Media keeps everyone in touch with each other at any time of the day. There are some authors stating that the “concept of cyberbullying would still be valid, given that blurred boundaries considering that digital relationships” of his or her daily life. (Ferreira and Deslands 3) The internet has several boundaries that can be crosses. Posting pictures leaves one vulnerable to other from commenting on his or her picture. Cyber bullying has worsened over time but apps and websites have added security to protect its users. Websites and apps created a private area were only the user will be able to accept and decline whether or not he or she will allow another person to see his or her posts. Once a request is accepted then they will be able to see everything you have posted about and even comment. There is still a risk of having an online account because you can accept someone and that is when it will start. Cyberbullying is an act where children need to be monitored for his or her online activity. Talking to teens about protecting his or her account and not accepting any requests from people they don’t know. Social media negative impact on teen is “increasing the risk of children being confronted with threatening situations.” (Van Hee 2)
Cyberbullying has become upon us since the internet made a presence in our lives. It is something that is very serious and can have a fatal impact on lives but there is a way to avoid going through it. Before websites and apps built in their private protectors everyone was open to be cyberbullied and there wasn’t a way to get away from it unless completely deleting any access to the internet. As time proceeded things became more advanced including protecting yourself from cyberbullies on the internet and being able to allow and deny request. Cyberbullying is an issue of a social problem. Wanting to be on top and have everything and do anything to get it, including leaving rude and hateful comments on someone’s pictures. Teens dealing with cyberbullies online become ill with depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide.
Most go through social anxiety because he or she don’t fit in with everyone else but he or she desperately wishes too and may continue to do whatever he or she can do to make that happen. Cyber bullying is very serious and is something that needs to be stopped. However, there are preventions to protect yourself the abusers online. Parents should show their children how to protect themselves from issues like this from happening. Students needs to know that cyberbullying isn’t okay and that they shouldn’t listen to whatever is being said about them.