Cyberbullying: A New Age Of Electronic Communication

Today, society is filled with the buzz of technology that engulfs the lives of many taking away from the true meaning of community. A community is a group of people putting aside their differences to work together as a single unit. However, communities all over have created more problems for themselves with the growth of technology. In this new age of technology, electronic communication has distorted this united sensation by shifting society’s focus from the real world to the screen. These advanced means of communication have opened up a new format of harassment: cyberbullying. According to the article Cyberbullying, this new form of bullying is executed by spreading private or embarrassing information over the internet, which results …show more content…
According to Pediatrics Annuals, this advanced age of electronic communication “can play a crucial role in the formation of body self-image and may be responsible for creating unrealistic expectations and body dissatisfaction.” Teens specifically need to be surrounded by a strong, solid foundation provided by a community to develop into adults who respect and honor their bodies. Nonetheless, communities have lowered their standards of self-worth forcing people to view themselves inaccurately. These electronic means of communication disintegrate the values that a true community is supposed to portray. Electronic communication deceives the minds of teens and teaches them that the community they surround themselves with does not value their real identity. Consequently, not only teens, but also society feels the need to conform to unrealistic, pretentious norms. Sherry Turkle, a cultural analyst who studies technology 's impact on relationships, states in her Ted Talk, “We use technology to define ourselves [...].” People believe that their true character is solely based on how they act on social media. Thus, people alter, filter, chop, and distort their appearance. The other side states that low body self-esteem is in the control of the person and that people naturally have the discipline to realize the self-worth their body entails. However, the burden of looking at others …show more content…
People no longer feel the need to have a face-to-face conversation with others because they have already “stalked” them on social media accounts. In Turkle’s Ted Talk “Connected, but alone”, she states that people fear a real conversation because “it takes place in real time and you can’t control what you are going to say.” People are afraid of the unknown; they want to be in control at all times. They do not want to deal with the uncertainties that a real relationship holds because technology takes half the work out of a real relationship. People can learn about members in their community at their own free will, which leads to the disconnection of a community. The only characteristics of a relationship are defined by the narrow, biased views that technological communication provides. People claim that the ease of seeing a friend or family member 's life at the press of a button allows them to feel more connected. However, this leads to people lacking the raw emotion that a true relationship embodies. Turkle believes that the foundation for understanding yourself comes from understanding how to have a relationship with real people. In her Ted Talk, Turkle states, “We are not able to appreciate them for who they are. It is as if we are using them for spare parts to support our fragile sense of self.” People are frequently using others flaws to