Does News Media Have An Impact On Cyberbullying?

Is cyberbullying an old problem with a new disguise? Bullying in the real world has been around for a seemingly endless amount of time. Due to the rise of technology in society today, bullying in the cyber world, also known as cyberbullying, has erupted. Cyberbullying can be defined as using technology, such as the Internet, social media, and text messages, to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person (Hirsch). According to 11 Facts About Cyberbullying, nearly eighty-three percent of teens believe bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person. This shows that cyberbullies use online networks to camouflage themselves from reality. Cyberbullying is emotionally abusive to the victim’s mental health because the scars imprinted from the cruel remarks sent through text messages and posted throughout social media are bound to forever impact one's life.

In the article, “Girl’s Suicide Points to Rise in Apps Used by Cybullies,” by Lizette Alverez, the author writes about the tragic death of Rebecca Ann Sedwick, and the events that lead her to it. Rebecca was a normal, typical twelve year old pree-teen girl. Because of a disagreement over a boy Rebecca dated, several middle-school children stated bullying her. The bullying started at school, but it esculated to where she was vicously tormented on social media. Even after she stopped dating the boy, the attacks kept coming. Because not much was being done, even though Rebecca’s mother complained to school adiministrators, her mother placed her in a different school. Rebecca’s mother also took her cell phone, and closed her social media

The word 'bullying' has developed a very traditional definition amongst society: a face-to-face interaction involving either verbal abuse and/or physical abuse. With the technological advances that have occurred within the past 15 years, bullying has become anything but traditional. Children and teens have more access to the Internet and to social media platforms more than ever before, thus allowing them to avoid face-to-face interaction. Within the past 15 years, there has been a significant rise of cyberbullying in the youth demographic (ages 12-18) (Slonje, Smith, & Frisén, 2013). In order to understand what the difference between traditional bullying and cyberbullying is, one must familiarize themselves with the definition of cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is a relatively new threat, and it is very similar to traditional bullying. Despite the fact that cyberbullying and traditional bullying both share the common goal of harassment, cyberbullying differs from traditional bullying in that it does not stop at the schoolyard, and can continue when the victim is far away from the aggressor. It is just as devastating as common bullying, and sometimes is even more damaging. Professors Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin note in their journal, “Cyberbullying Creates Dangerous Stress and Anxiety”, that cyberbullying affects anywhere between 10-40% of students (contingent on their age group) (par. 1). J.D. Kelly A. Albin, in her article “Bullies in a Wired World”, defines cyberbullying as “…the ‘willful and repeated harm inflicted through use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices’” (157). It is caused by the fact that children feel their actions are mitigated when they use social media, as it creates the illusion of indirectness, and its effects range anywhere from mild depression to suicide.

This problem has become more pressing and has been a greater focus in the media. Social media has also brought the issue to the forefront in the last several years and, itself, plays a role in today’s age of bullying, cyber bullying. The Matt Epling Safe School Law (2011/2014) was amended in 2014 to add a section specifically directed at cyberbullying. The legislation identifies bullying as anything that is composed, spoken, acted out, or conveyed electronically. These acts are said to disrupt educational opportunity, impart emotional disturbances, influence physical and mental health, and/or impact the daily functioning of the educational institution (Matt Epling Safe School Law, 2011/2014). These definitions demonstrate the severity of the social problem,

In “Cyberbullying Is Serious but Not an Epidemic” Larry Magid argues that there is a problem with cyber bullying, but maybe we shouldn’t make such a big about it. He states that cyber bullying is an aspect that leads adolescents to suicide, but there are also other factors as well. Some factors could include existing depression, issues at home, or issues with self-esteem. Magid goes on to say that bullying isn’t as harmful as we all make it out to be. We should take action when it comes to children being bullied but maybe not overreact like we tend to.

Technology is rapidly advancing at a dizzying rate which has seen many amazing feats but has also introduced and increased the act of Cyberbullying. Cyber bullying can be defined as targeting someone using any form of technology (this includes social media) to tease, stalk or humiliate someone online (Dictionary.com, 2016). Cyberbullying is so detrimental because it encourages the targeting of an individual; It is often done in secret with the bully hiding who they are by creating false profiles or names, or sending anonymous messages. It is difficult to remove as it is shared online so it can be recorded and saved in different places. Cyberbullying has such a negative impact that research shows that there is a correlation between the violent

Part I focuses on the “recent emergence of cyber-bullying and its devastating effects on minors” (220), Part II discusses “why current laws fail to protect victims” (220), and Part III discusses “how to criminalize the act of cyberbullying” (220). I found this article in particular to be very useful because it poses a detailed examination of the types of laws in place regarding bullying and why they need to be updated. It also specifically talks about the failure of schools and courts to effectively punish cyberbullying as a crime because of First Amendment issues, “Schools face the challenge of balancing the rights of students, while judges face the challenge of balancing the First Amendment right to free speech” (237). Lastly, this article lists many case examples of students who have fallen martyrs to cyberbullying or experienced the serious short-term or long-term effects that

This type of bullying can take place 24 hours a day and is brought into the student’s home where it was once considered safe. Cyber-bullying has changed the world's view on this age-old subject, meanwhile the media suggests that bullying is an epidemic by reporting on tragedies that happen among our youth shedding light on the problem. One thing everyone can agree on is that the internet has provided a non-stop opportunity to bully. Nicole Edgington was celebrating her 17th birthday at a concert when it would be turned upside down by cyber-bullying. A senior in California was wrongly accused of turning some students in for coming to school intoxicated. Because the students assumed she had turned them in, they began a barrage of social media attacks along with text message threats. Nicole wrote an article, the girl who got even: A true cyber bullying story, explaining how she rose above the threats and daily negative texts. It takes courage to stand up and face your fears especially when you feel isolated. Nicole’s mom started to speak out on cyberbullying and found that teens wanted to hear other teens. Nicole would face her bully’s by speaking out about the behavior. The media has suggested that bullying is an epidemic, reporting on tragedies that happen among our youth shedding light on an age-old problem. When bullying moves to the internet it becomes more

Societal norms in the United States in terms of adolescents utilizing the Internet once as an additional source of communication has become the primary mode of communication. Today, “92% of teens proclaim they go online daily to check popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter among others” (Lenhart 1). The alteration from physical communication to online communication has exposed a dangerous interaction for social relationships known as cyberbullying. In order to understand cyberbullying, it is critical to understand traditional bullying. Traditional bullying thrives off on aggressive behavior that is repetitive and involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Cyberbullying is a form of violence predominantly seen in teens that has the potential to lead to long-term harm. It involves the use of technology such as cell phones and the Internet with the primary objective of

This attention to cyber bullying has been a media goto issue since the dawn of 2000’s and has made many stabs at the the problem by publishing the victims and their stories.

One of the problems that is caused by social media is cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is bullying people by misusing social media and usually leads to bullying in real life. This problem relates to me because I have seen intense fights online and series of mild cyber bullying on Ask.fm and Facebook, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere for anyone who can view those fights on their news feed. Social media creates a natural habitat for cyber bullying to occur and makes it harder for the targeted victim to run off due to new online technology. Furthermore, according to the article “Cyber-Bullying, Social Media, and Parental Responsibility”, a middle school girl named Rebecca Sedwick had been

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

Imagine that every time you log into your Facebook account you look at your inbox hoping that each day will be different, only to find a plethora of messages filled with cruel insults, taunting, and name calling from classmates. “No one likes you!” “You’re an idiot!” How would that make you feel? One can reason that victims of cyberbullying should grow tougher skin and stand up to their attackers or stop visiting social networking sites all together as a response to bullying. It’s hard to sympathize with a victim of bullying if you’ve never been bullied or have always played the role of the bully. In their article Are Social Networking Sites Harmful, Abraham Foxman and Cyndi Silverman (2011) argues that cyberbullying is more threatening than anything we’ve ever see before, therefore, such crimes should be made punishable by law. While I agree that cyberbullying should not be taken lightly, people need to understand that bullying, be it traditional or through social networking sites, can have long-lasting negative effects on its victims, it’s dangerous, and both types equally need to be taken more seriously.

“Twenty-five percent of teenager’s report that they have experienced repeated bullying by their cell phone, or on the internet; victims of cyberbullying are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and to consider suicide.” Thousands of teens are victims of bullying every day, and with the today’s use of technology, the bullying does not stop when the school day ends. The bullying follows the victims home accessible for everyone anywhere right at their fingertips. The internet is home to cyberbullying; a never-ending platform targeting thousands of individuals exposing, abusing, or humiliating every day causing internal hurt to the victims. Why is the internet such an easy place to create and share the harsh channels of cyberbullying?