Synthesis Essay About Cyberbullying

Typically, the person that is doing the cyberbullying is generally a victim of bullying themselves. How is cyberbullying done? Normally, the use of electronic devices to send messages that tend to emotional hurt someone feelings. Social media can lead to many negative outcomes when communicating to others. For example, if a teenage boy responds on a girl’s photo stating she is “ugly” is considered online bullying. One popular social media site is Facebook that over millions of people use for communicating. Facebook can be a positive source to communicate with family and friends that you may not see often. Also, it can be a very negative source that a lot of people use to criticize one another. Therefore, cyberbullying occurs nationwide

The first amendment of the United States Constitution is the right of free speech. So, should people get prosecuted for cyberbullying, even though it violates the first amendment? Although cyberbullying is wrong it shouldn’t be charged as a federal crime because it is not physically hurting someone it is emotionally hurting them.

Cyberbullying should not be added to the United States criminal code for many reasons. If cyberbullying were added to the criminal code it would cause chaos, instead of fulfilling its intended purpose. Many people have different perspectives of cyberbullying and the way it should be handled. Sources one and two each express differing views towards adding cyberbullying to the criminal code. Source one agrees with this addition, and source two strongly disagrees.

A person “can just post something nasty… instead of risking an unpleasant confrontation face to face” (Banks 14-15). Different psychological studies show that when there is a conflict and people try to fix the problem, face to face, it is often resolved. Usually when the person being demeaning or harsh sees the other person becoming emotional, they back down; with communicating online, a person’s reactions are not seen, so there is no mental filter. They do not see or hear that what they are saying can be hurtful so they continue with it (Kang 58-61). To make matters worse, apps and social media sites are being created that are completely anonymous. These apps create an atmosphere in which people can say anything they want to another person and not receive any punishment. Because of technology, more people are becoming victims of cyberbullying by not only people they know, but people they do not know. About “nine of ten teen users said they have witnessed ‘mean or cruel’ actions aimed at peers online” and very few people were reprimanded for their behavior (Kang 49-50). There are no set restrictions as to what can be posted. Although some sites and apps claim to have age restrictions, or places where one could ‘report’ or ‘flag’ posts, these are hardly ever enforced or used (Kang 46-47, 67-68). Technology has taken away the human filter and the online ones; without these, bullies will just continue to bully.

Man! Did you know that according to Source 2, “an estimated 1 in 5 students in the U.S. is either bullied or a bully?” I find these statistics mortifying. There are two types of people involved in bullying- a bully and a bystander. A bystander is someone who doesn’t help the person being bullied. A bully is someone who intentionally hurts someone. I believe that kids might be bullied for many reasons. According to Source 2, a student states that he was bullied about his hair and about what he wore. Kids might be a ruthless bully because of issues at home and anger. I believe that severe bullying is worse than a bystander because they suffer more severe punishment, develop a horrible reputation, and they are the hugest cause of teen suicide. Clearly bullies are the horrific guys here.

Should people be prosecuted for saying certain things on social media? People should be prosecuted for saying mean things in social media because it can lead to many different harmful situations. They should be prosecuted because it can threaten lives, can cause their personal lives to get worse, and can threaten both the victim and the cyberbullies reputation.

Have you ever been cyberbullied, or seen someone you know being cyberbullied? Yes, cyberbullying is real, and it’s a major issue. But it’s freedom of speech, the first amendment, so why should the legal system be involved? This has been a debated topic between American citizens, and as brought on many news articles and interviews on the subject. From the reasons given, my view on the subject is that cyberbullies do not need to be in the legal system unless a life is taken or serious harm is done to a person’s reputation.

There are two kinds of people that lead a victim to killing themselves: bullies and bystanders. According to Source 3, students are bullied because the bully thinks they are weaker in some way. Also, they may have insecurity, depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem. A student may bully someone else repeatedly and intentionally. They also use different tactics such as cyber, verbal, and sexual bullying. But, which is worse the bully or the bystander? Bystanders are worse than bullies because they don’t intervene, encourage the bully, make the matter worse, and could, but don't save the victim and the bully from suicide.

Cyberbullying was made illegal December 10th, 2010. Most people believe that there shouldn’t be any consequences, for the reasoning of freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is the right to say any opinions without restraint. America is one of the few countries that allow freedom of speech. Some European countries speaking out against leadership will land you in jail or other severe the consequences. Freedom of speech should be enforced to a certain extent. If you are taking advantage of that freedom, then you should suffer serve consequences. Forty - nine , out of fifty states have laws in place about bullying, and 20 specifically mentioned cyberbullying in the legislature. According to iKeepSafe.org, criminal charges can be brought against

Individuals who are cyberbullies should be prosecuted for the statements made on social media. People should be prosecuted for their statements made on social media. Individuals should be prosecuted if the victim has asked them to stop and if it is harming the victim. Individuals should be prosecuted for harmful statements made on social media. People who have to deal with cyberbullying cannot get away from it.

Facebook and other social media platforms have brought communication across the world to a whole new level. The rise of social media has created a place for children to communicate with others in both a positive and negative manner. Although it has made a positive impact on American youth, it has also contributed and exacerbated bullying in our schools. This new form of bullying, often referred to as cyberbullying, has created an around-the-clock atmosphere where bullying can occur even when school is not in session. Many professionals have sought to address the negative aspects of social media and have worked to develop a solution to bring cyberbullying to an end.

In the world of cyberbullying the bully is involved, but since unable to see their victim they tend have no feelings of regret or shame, especially since they are unable to see their victim and tell/ do what they what in front of the victim, which gives the bully a screen, most of the time making them feel invisible, untouchable, and unknown. Since cyberspace was started bullies were able to reach more people, faster.

Cyberbullying is a “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” (Source 3). Things such as posting embarrassing pictures of someone online, or pretending to be another person online. “ 20% of youth ages 11-18 have been a victim of cyberbullying,” (Source 3). Cyberbullying can have the same effects on a person just like normal bullying. Low self esteem, depression, eating disorders, and even suicide can be provoked by cyberbullying. So, if we want teens to stop harassing each other online, we should prosecute individuals for their hateful statements and actions on the internet.

Cyber bullying is quite different from the old traditional bullying. The traditional bullying has a combination of physical abuse, verbal abuse, and emotional abuse. While in cyber bullying it would just be emotional and verbal abuse because the person being bullied doesn’t get physically hurt. The traditional bullying would be face to face usually on school grounds during the school day, and it would have a smaller audience. Cyber bullying is at school and at home, all day, everyday either by the form of a text message, or chat room, or on social networking websites, and it has a large audience, for example if somebody posted on your wall on facebook everybody can see it and then people will comment and it will be a lot of people.

We use technology in almost every aspect of our daily lives; it is how we stay connected in this fast-paced world. Technology provides many benefits, but it has the potential to destroy many people. With technology use on the rise, bullying has taken a new, more destructive form. Cyberbullying, as defined by the Cyberbullying Research Center, is the willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text (qtd. in Chait). Cyberbullying is a serious problem and has serious consequences.