Cyberbullying is a growing concern in the society today. Its intensity in today’s society is attributed to widespread technology and devices that expose individuals to harmful content and behavior. Globally, the internet has become the go-to channel through which people express their feelings, interact with peers, undertake social revolutions and cover news. There is a growing attachment to virtual attachment rather than physical associations. Further, there is great freedom online thus a person can convey false information about their personality. The information conveyed becomes subject to criticism to any online user who sees it. There is no control over who comments and if their comments are positive or negative. Cyberbullying occurs when cell phones or other devices, and the internet are used to post and send messages or images with the intention to cause harm or embarrass another person (Patchin " Hinduja 614). Common situations entail a teen or child who uses the internet or physically interacts with others getting repeatedly threatened, embarrassed, tormented and humiliated. This becomes serious when a person creates a platform either through text, e-mail or even phone calls to ridicule another person. Notably, the information expressed via the online platform such as social networking sites account for most cases of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a challenge in today’s society as it hampers the relationship between people and causes depression.
Cyberbullies post personal data of those they want to bully on websites or forums that they know will get adequate attention. They then pretend to be someone else to be able to publish a different material to the victims to humiliate or diminish them. Most cyberbullies use similar tactics as their behavior is characterized by threatening messages and mean names (Festl " Quandt 103). Cyberbullying in today’s society portrays the ugly perspective of the internet. They subject victims of cyberbullying to depression, and extreme situations result in suicide. Regardless of the age and gender, cyberbullies can target anyone as long as their intent to cause harm is accomplished. Unfortunately, most victims are usually children and teens who know little about dealing with cyberbullying and will eventually contemplate suicide to be free from the pain and humiliation (Washington 23). The internet is dangerous despite the intentions to make life easy by connecting people. Unknown to many, it is capable of hurting them, especially is they are unaware of its benefits and drawbacks in today’s society.
Cyberbullying creates confusion among victims as they are left to wonder who to turn to for help. A hurt person can be challenging to deal with, mainly, if he or she has been exposed to a problem for so long. Such people tend to feel isolated and make comparisons to establish the purpose of making them targets of cyberbullying. Usually, the pain and confusion arise from establishing the reasons they become targets of bullying. Everyone wants to be loved and valued but cyberbullying subjects an individual to a lesser being by using mean words. Interestingly, cyberbullies may also not be aware of the reason they are making another person suffer for their actions (Patchin et al. 617). Victims of cyberbullying lack interest in life as they develop gradual loneliness and fear resulting in limited access to school or home. Continuous bullying, especially in schools is harmful to the grades as they will eventually drop because more attention is given to cyberbullying rather than studies (Mark " Ratliffe 95). Victims of cyberbullying in schools feel isolated and despised hence the paranoia that prevents them from communicating with others or making new friend.
Cyberbullying subjects most teens and children to feelings of helplessness due to delineation. This is a serious case of cyberbullying, especially when it is persistent as victims could choose to end their lives. While efforts are put to stop the vice, the challenge remains on whether it is possible in a society with advanced technology, more internet users and less physical interactions (Festl et al. 101). Cyberbullying entails the use of technologies that enhance deliberate intimidating behavior in a repeated manner with the intent to make others feel less important (Ma 2187). Perpetrators of cyberbullying are usually anonymous, yet the harassment continues at any time. Children and teens are committing suicide because of a lack of parental control and mediation in their use of internet devices. While people are hopeful that the vice will change if given time, it is less likely owing to a lack of necessary support to enable victims of cyberbullying to recover from depression and feel valued.
Frequent and uninterrupted use of the internet by teens in contemporary society has contributed to cyberbullying. Surprisingly, most teenagers do not consider cyberbullying as a detrimental vice because nothing is real on the internet. They believe that what is said or done on the internet should not be given much attention. Teenagers also think they are more aware of technology evolution than their parents who are likely to report cases of cyberbullying most dramatically (Erdur-Baker 111). Cyberbullying as most teenagers are made to believe is not suicidal if a person controls their thoughts and protects oneself in the digital world. However, that is usually not the case because cyberbullying is real and it causes more harm to those who do not admit they need help. The vice is done repeatedly to irritate and without help, one is capable of committing suicide or being depressed (Patchin et al 618). While cyberbullying according to most youths should not be a cause for alarm, the internet is full of lies and dark secrets that could easily trick anyone. Indeed, cyberbullying is a big issue in today’s society that should not be ignored. People, especially frequent internet users should be educated on how to approach internet dangers to avoid getting cheated or mocked.
The phenomenon of cyberbullying is to reach a wide audience and cause humiliation by virtually destroying their reputation with a single click or send button. Despite the notion that rumors spread faster compared to word of mouth, hateful messages can reach more people within a short period. In such cases, it is a challenge to obtain a defense because the audience is vast and the perpetrator usually is anonymous (Siegle 14). Cyberbullies seek control and power over those they consider to be weaker. This behavior is motivated by a desire for control and lack of confidence among the victims. Notably, bullying on the computer and not physically is cowardly as it depicts the perpetrator’s weakness of not confronting the victim in person (Washington 24). Hence, cyberbullies lack empathy and the fear of getting caught because face-to-face interactions are inexistent. Cyberbullying is a strange vice since physical violence is not possible yet it still frightens more people due to the infinite number of witnesses. Besides, the bully is anonymous, and victims are left wondering who they should avoid or respond to upon attack (Erdur-Baker et al. 111). This feeling of helplessness inspires more youth to commit suicide and get depressed as such cases are never reported. Teenagers and children feel that reporting will do them more harm than good as their devices or cable connections could be taken away or interfered with by their parents.
Today’s society is characterized by increased social media use for purposes of interaction and building networks on the internet. While it is an efficient and effective platform, it is not without cyberbullying. Twitter is the fastest growing social media platform in the society today where people ‘follow’ other people through posting regular updates of their activities (Washington 27). Besides the use of Twitter, cyberbullies also create websites for the sole purpose of humiliating others through posting unkind photos and texts. A person of interest can also be photoshopped to achieve uncompromising postures and then posted on social media to gather ridicule and torment. Photoshopping is commonly used in today’s society and depicts the extent of cyberbullying. Victims of photoshops feel they are different from the others and that their position in society is unwanted. Similarly, Facebook users encounter cyberbullying through mean comments on posts and ridicule of uploaded photos (Ma 2192). Most users have ended up leaving the site to lead introvert lives because they feel the world around them does not appreciate but rather harm their personality.
Interactive games that today’s children play on gaming devices such as Sony Play Station 2 and X-Box Live facilitate cyberbullying. These games entail multiple players in a virtual world hence avenues for cyberbullying and harassment. The gaming devices allow teens to communicate either by live internet or chat with anyone they consider their match in an online game (Walrave " Heirman 61). This results in verbal abuse of other players by use of crude language and threats. Sometimes, players lock others out of the game and hack their accounts or pass false rumors about them (Mark et al. 103). Gaming used to be a solitary activity and today’s society entails social and community gaming. Since it is an entertaining activity, parents are less likely to monitor their children who end up interacting with strangers online. Cyberbullying in contemporary society requires alertness among parents because their children may end up linking up with a stranger who eventually embarrasses or humiliates them (Erdur-Baker et al. 112). There are games with inbuilt parental controls to prevent children from activating the voice chat until the parents find it safe. Cyberbullying is diverse and targets the vulnerable mainly in activities that victims feel too comfortable to doubt any form of malice.
Cyberbullying in society today is widespread because internet users do not realize the impact of what they say online or text on another person. While they may feel they are not saying a bad thing, cyberbullies use the information their advantage to further humiliate the victim. Such cases are common with an intention to break relationships and render people untrustworthy. Since the perpetrator is known from the victim’s point of view, it will be difficult to ascertain the third party that compromised the chat to express mean opinions (Walrave et al. 62). Usually, such behaviors commence as a joke, and the victim does not pay much attention because of a lack of courage to say it face-to-face. Cyberbullying is wrong since the remarks are very hurtful, untrue and damaging to the victim (Patchin et al. 615). Further, the interpretation of bullying messages online may vary a great deal, and any misinformation could disconnect friendships and create an environment of hate and spite.
Internet addiction in today’s society gives cyberbullying a platform to cause more harm than good. Today, people spend more time on the internet than they spend developing physical relationships and entertainment. This gives cyberbullies an opportunity to access information that is helpful in threatening and humiliating online users. The distortion of communication channels is on the rise due to cyberbullying that aims at creating disconnect among people and activities (Ma 2188). Besides, internet users work with the assumption that mean information on the internet should not affect anyone’s self-esteem and expression. This is unfortunate because cyberbullies are dangerous and will go to the extreme to prove their malice towards victims. They seek joy in displaying negative and abusive comments about another person. The surprising bit is that cyberbullies act out of anonymities and this gives them the freedom to say anything. Based on this knowledge, cyberbullies prey on innocent victims. Parents who are expected to control internet usage of their children are rarely available to do so as they are also busy on the internet (Walrave et al. 68). Eventually, vulnerable teens and children end up committing suicide because nobody gives them the attention they desire. Today’s society is a busy society where everyone takes action for personal and not communal benefit. Thus, cyberbullying will continue to permeate people’s lifestyles because of a lack of information and education to control it. If people shared information and educated others about what to do in case they are bullied, the society would be at peace as cyberbullies would get limited or no attention. Further, there is a need for control over what content children online. Also, parents have to encourage their children that utterances people make about them online are often biased.
In conclusion, mobile phones and the internet make life easier and play a crucial role in everyday activities. However, their roles have been distorted by cyberbullies who want to display their power and control those they believe are weak. The positive effects of the internet are unquestionable as it has enhanced connections and networks, especially with the evolving technology. However, it is its negative effect on today’s society that has given rise to cyberbullying. Notably, cyberbullying is the intolerable face of evolving technology as it has changed societal perspectives by creating more harm than building harmony. Stakeholders in the society have a mandate to ensure cyberbullying as a destructive vice is controlled if not eliminated. Cyberbullying is on the rise, and everyone in society is affected as long as they own computers, mobile phones and can access the internet. Since the vice is popular among teens and children either in school or out of school, parents and teachers alike must control the children’s actions. The society also requires vital education about dealing with cyberbullies so that they do not get the attention they seek through the threats and malice they spread on the internet.
Works Cited
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Mark, Lauren, and Katherine T. Ratliffe. "Cyber worlds: New Playgrounds for Bullying." Computers in the Schools 28.2 (2011): 92-116.
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