Research
Bullying, in our society, has been going around for ages. In many places around the world; such as workplaces and schools, bullies pick on others to make up for their low self-esteem and other insecurities. With the rapid growth of the internet, it has taken bullying to a whole new level. Now it doesn’t just stop in the school or at work, it carries on even at home, even when you’re sleeping.
But is it different from “normal” bullying? Some might argue that it must be possible to not own a facebook or twitter account at all and avoid social media totally.
Perhaps. But in today’s current society, technology is vast, and avoiding it can be a disadvantage both personally and professionally. For most people today, technology is already …show more content…
Anonymity online can and will be misused to threaten and victimise others, particularly young people who spend a lot of time on the Internet may feel high levels of peer pressure in order to fit in. The way to prevention is through education; people need to understand more about the repercussions of their own actions online, and know what to do if they or someone they know are feeling threatened by another party’s online behaviour. I personally feel that we can never stop cyber-bullying, but we can reduce it by not becoming the bullies ourselves.
Case study 1
Jessica Logan was an 18-year-old Sycamore High School senior when it happened. She sent a nude photo of herself to her then boyfriend, it was reported that the photo was sent to hundreds of teenagers in at least seven other high schools around area after the couple broke up. The cyber bullying continued through Facebook, Myspace and text messages. Jessica hanged herself not long after, after attending the funeral of another boy who had committed suicide.
What could have been done?
Prevention is always better than cure, she should have not sent any nudes to anyone. No matter how dear the person might be to them. When the photos were circulated, she should have sought legal help with a trusted adult. That would at least put down some of the circulation. …show more content…
About five weeks before her death, a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans asked Megan to be friends on the social networking website MySpace. The two began chatting online regularly, although they never met in real life or spoke on the phone. “Megan had a lifelong struggle with weight and self-esteem,” Tina said on the Foundation website. “And just when she finally had a boy who she thought really thought she was pretty.”
In mid-October, Josh began saying he didn’t want to be friends anymore, and the messages became even more hateful on October 16, 2006, when Josh told Megan, “The world would be a better place without you.” The cyberbullying further escalated when classmates and friends on MySpace began writing disturbing messages. Tina said on the Foundation website that it was about 20 minutes after Megan went to her room after leaving the computer that the mother found her daughter had hanged herself in her bedroom closet. Megan died the following day, three weeks before what would have been her 14th birthday.
Bullying, in our society, has been going around for ages. In many places around the world; such as workplaces and schools, bullies pick on others to make up for their low self-esteem and other insecurities. With the rapid growth of the internet, it has taken bullying to a whole new level. Now it doesn’t just stop in the school or at work, it carries on even at home, even when you’re sleeping.
But is it different from “normal” bullying? Some might argue that it must be possible to not own a facebook or twitter account at all and avoid social media totally.
Perhaps. But in today’s current society, technology is vast, and avoiding it can be a disadvantage both personally and professionally. For most people today, technology is already …show more content…
Anonymity online can and will be misused to threaten and victimise others, particularly young people who spend a lot of time on the Internet may feel high levels of peer pressure in order to fit in. The way to prevention is through education; people need to understand more about the repercussions of their own actions online, and know what to do if they or someone they know are feeling threatened by another party’s online behaviour. I personally feel that we can never stop cyber-bullying, but we can reduce it by not becoming the bullies ourselves.
Case study 1
Jessica Logan was an 18-year-old Sycamore High School senior when it happened. She sent a nude photo of herself to her then boyfriend, it was reported that the photo was sent to hundreds of teenagers in at least seven other high schools around area after the couple broke up. The cyber bullying continued through Facebook, Myspace and text messages. Jessica hanged herself not long after, after attending the funeral of another boy who had committed suicide.
What could have been done?
Prevention is always better than cure, she should have not sent any nudes to anyone. No matter how dear the person might be to them. When the photos were circulated, she should have sought legal help with a trusted adult. That would at least put down some of the circulation. …show more content…
About five weeks before her death, a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans asked Megan to be friends on the social networking website MySpace. The two began chatting online regularly, although they never met in real life or spoke on the phone. “Megan had a lifelong struggle with weight and self-esteem,” Tina said on the Foundation website. “And just when she finally had a boy who she thought really thought she was pretty.”
In mid-October, Josh began saying he didn’t want to be friends anymore, and the messages became even more hateful on October 16, 2006, when Josh told Megan, “The world would be a better place without you.” The cyberbullying further escalated when classmates and friends on MySpace began writing disturbing messages. Tina said on the Foundation website that it was about 20 minutes after Megan went to her room after leaving the computer that the mother found her daughter had hanged herself in her bedroom closet. Megan died the following day, three weeks before what would have been her 14th birthday.