Definition Essay: What Is A Meme?

“...1 in 3 teens [have] admitted to being a victim of cyberbullying…” says child psychologist, Eden Foster, in reference to a survey, talked about in “The Dangers of Cyberbullying” by Brett Warke, that shows the absolute significance of cyberbullying in this day and age. Cyberbullying on social media is everywhere and it’s about time that someone took some action against it, and, in this case, taking legal action via prosecution may be the best way to go. Let it not be said that cyberbullying and bullying are different, infact, the only difference is the platform they take place on. Cyberbullying is done with the same malicious intent as face-to-face bullying is done with: the intent to hurt a victim in a psychological or physical way- showing

Since the internet is a newer invention there aren’t as many regulations on it which means people who bully others on the internet can hide away behind their computers and get away with the hateful comments they posted. It would take a long time to figure out how to deal with the hateful comments that appear. Most Social media sites include features such as reporting a post or person, blocking, or just removing that person from your “friend” group. Because of the first amendment harsh words are seen as freedom of speech and are allowed to be said and written. However there is a bold line between freedom of speech and slander which is not protected under certain circumstances.

‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ (The Christian Recorder). This is the infamous saying that many have heard since they were young. With vastly growing technology today, face to face bullying is being replaced with what is known as ‘cyberbullying’. Cyberbullying is defined as, “an aggressive intentional act carried out by a group or individual using electronic forms of contact repeatedly and over against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself” (WebMD). It can take place using cell phones, computers, tablets, social media sites, text messaging, and/or chat rooms. Cyberbullying has become a growing awareness nationwide, prompting lawmakers to act and propose new laws making cyberbullying a

Statistics show that public humiliation is one of the most common fears. As many admit to this fear, many also grasp to this concept and shame one another for absurd conditions. In the Puritan Era, many methods were used to publicly shame someone for their wrong doing. One of their common methods was to openly tell their “sin” to the whole community. One of their extreme approaches was hanging someone. This showed the public to follow the regulations of the town and do not do anything against them. Fast forward to modern times, the scheme of humiliating one another changed drastically. For instance, many occurrences pertain from social media. In 1994, the first site of social media was created. From this point on, millions of different sites

Youth can be ridiculed because of posts on social media. According to the article “Could you Become a Mean Meme?” by Kristin Lewis, a girl named Ashley VanPevenage was turned into a meme that had cruel comments about her skin. The meme originated as a post on social media. This goes to show that anything one posts could be used as a cruel joke by others, as many believe they appear anonymous online. The same article says that “your less than stellar moments can be captured and preserved online.” When someone could see one of these “less than stellar moments,” they could post a cruel or ridiculing comment about it, as once again many feel a sense of anonymity and feel freedom to do so. So, indeed, anything one would post could be mocked.

In the article, "The Flip Side of Internet Fame", Jessica Bennett, the author, dives into the unflattering aspects of the internet. Some might think the internet is harmless and just a fun way to communicate, but for some people such as the "star war kid", it was a devastating part of their life.  Something that is clear through the numerous examples she gives, is the internet can be humiliating, damaging, hard to regulate and it can convey lies. Two other point she makes is that public shaming is becoming much more popular and the internet can lead to devastating repercussions and trauma.

One of the first disadvantages used in “Could you become a mean meme” is the fact that people could take the things you post and use them for something mean. The author tells

The internet and the people on it can be very crucial. Social media allows people to express themselves in ways they feel can’t in the actual world. They express their feelings, their open to their own opinions, and so forth. However, the internet also consists of people who give unnecessary, mean, and hateful opinions to other people for reasons that no one truly understands. The podcast “Act One. Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls; It Trolls for Thee” by Lindsey West, is about a female who was constantly getting backlashed over the internet by whom she referred to as “trolls.” The internet is usually where people go to voice their opinions over what they feel is right or wrong; with Lindsey West, she had voiced her opinion and what she felt was wrong about male comedians using the rape term too often and using carelessly. A result of West voicing her opinion

It is no secret that social media is seen as an “outlet,” where we can post our innermost thoughts and feelings, no matter how awful they are, and many times, without any consequence. The anonymity of social media bolsters some people to post rants, hate speech, and other offensive comments that they would almost certainly never say face to face. There have been multiple occasions throughout my life where I have witnessed people expressing such feelings on social media. However, there was one occasion in particular that has always, and will always, stick with me.

Cyber bullying is becoming a bigger and bigger problem on social networking sites. There have been quite a few teenage suicides in which cyber bullying seems to have played a role. In at least one case, the suicide of Alexis Pilkington, the bullying kept going on her tribute page even after her death. (Glor) “Cyber-Bullying can cause the victim to become chronically depressed and to experience a complete loss of self-esteem. A short exposure to Cyber-Bullying can have long term effects. It can result in Cyber-Bullying Suicides.” (Cyber-Bullying Suicides - Cyber Bullycide Victims ) It has many forms such as degradation, harassment, cyber stalking, impersonation, flaming (using vulgar and angry language to start fights with the victim), password theft and hacking accounts, posting photos or videos, among several others. (Cyber-Bullying Suicides - Cyber Bullycide Victims ) Bullying has been around way before the internet, but now that it is online, rumors, pictures or other forms of cyber bullying make their way around the community much faster so it is easier to humiliate someone in front of more people. “In the Internet era, it appears there are more people interested in spewing hate than in countering it. On the social networking sites and on YouTube, inflammatory, hate-filled content overwhelms the limited efforts to

I was struck by some comments, thinking “How can these people say those things to her?”, reacting to what was after all simply a bad joke. The excitement, the delectation of her misery reflected in the compilation of comments (Ronson 70) was overwhelming, I was disgusted. A specific comment retained my attention: “Somebody (HIV+) must rape this bitch and we’ll see if her skin color protects her from AIDS.” (qtd. in Ronson 108) By all definition of bullying there is, this was it. Send threatening messages, post rumors, deform the victim’s words, share her picture, her name, personal information, all of those actions describe cyberbullying. (Warner) And they all applied to the so-called public shaming of Justine

Technology has just made it easier for society to show this type of disrespect. Having the ability to do with it with an anonymous avatar gives a person a certain fell of stimulation. Majoo believed that’s its only people being nasty, and the groups that are important or influence our society, will be minimized in what actually might be important. Media has always been around but not the way it is today. Since there are so many different forms of media, these programs show us more incivility than we saw thirty years ago. Society has either became lazy or they just don’t have filters. “Polite interaction may no longer seem to yield solutions” (Heldenfels). Incivility is the very problem cause by the influences around us, without this technology advancing so much we wouldn’t have people such as “web trolls.” I am not saying this technology has ruined us but our disrespect and cowardness has ruined our civility and

Social Networking has taken bullying to the extreme. Before advanced technology, children and teenagers were troubled by school bullies. Today, they are targeted by bullies via internet. Most people undergo some form of bullying in life. Growing up, I experienced the typical name calling and spiteful comments. I also dealt with minor cases of virtual bullies. These bullies are known as cyber bullies. I find this topic compelling because it’s a matter that has spiraled out of control.

Internet usage in children and adolescents has been increasing in a steadily fashion in the past number of years and with the increase in internet usage, a new form of bullying has developed – Cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can be defined as “the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person,” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). This form of bullying can come through various mediums including but not limited to text messages, emails, videos, and social networking sites. There is an overwhelming amount of information that defines cyber bullying, identifies the demographics of bullies and victims of cyber bullying, and identifies the outcomes of cyber bullying on victims. More focus needs to be placed on who the perpetrators

These people have a name. Those who use the freedom of the Internet’s anonymity to cause injury to others are called “trolls.” These trolls claim that they harm others for the “lulz,” which means for laughs. What they do to achieve this ranges from simple pranks to threats of