Technology Dating Violence

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.

Younger adults around the globe are growing up in a world filled with media in different kinds of shapes and forms(Brown, 2006). It is said to be that people are able to find partners independent of where they live and will be able to maintain a healthy relationship. This is because now people are able to share and communicate everything about their lives instantly. For example, music, videos, photos and other types of communication are easily available to the average person. (Herlein & Piercy, 2008). Society turns to technology these days to communicate because it gives them a sense of control over their social lives. Madell & Muncer, 2007). For example, when a person receives a text message. They can think for as long as they want to how they are going to reply back. Being able to think carefully is something digital communication has over physical. Sometimes we can say things that we did not mean due to being under pressure or reading body language. Texting someone can also have an impact on relationships with others. A study done showed that adults that are in a romantic relationship who uses texting to communicate with each other are more likely to have a better quality relationship (Coyne, Stockdale, Busby, Iverson, & Grant,

As the drastic increase of social media networks has increased, so too has the cyberbullying prevalence. Merriam-Webster defines cyberbullying as the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person often done anonymously. Kassandra Gahagan and her fellow colleagues studied cyberbullying among students and its outcomes. Studies show higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors with victims of cyberbullying, along with higher rates of depression, anxiety and paranoia (Gahagan, Vaterlaus & Frost, 2015). While cyberbullying can be both intentional or unintentional, it is a negative process which effects the victim. This includes comments, posts without consent and messages. The study conducted sought to determine the prevalence of cyberbullying among young adults and the negative outcomes through asking three questions.

The internet has created an entirely new world of social communications particularly for youths. There are no more barriers. Family, friends, young and old may now stay in touch with just about everyone, anywhere in the world through the use of email, text messaging, web chat, and instant messaging. Although, most interactions are friendly and in good nature, there are some that are not. The use of technology as a tool to antagonize, torment and intimidate others is now a widespread problem. Sadly, this form of bullying like all others is most common among children and young adults. Research done by Cox Communications on children between 13 thru 18 year-olds, 25 percent said they were cyber-bullied whether online or by cell phone (Cox Com. 2009). Also in 2007, the National Crime Prevention Council reported cyber-bullying as a problem that affected approximately half of all American teens. Since it is popular among this group of American teens, then it is safe look at some of possible reason cyber bullies of this age group are encouraged to take part in such activity.

Humiliation, jealousy, accusations, threats, possessiveness, overdependence and withdrawal of attention are other signs of this severity of violence (“The Facts about Teen Dating Violence”). “Of tweens (age 11-14) who have been in a dating relationship, 62% say they know peers who have been verbally abused by a dating partner” (Liz Claiborne, Inc/Teen Research Unlimited, 2007). Frequently, verbal and emotional abuse contains the use of technology. People abuse the use of the internet, computer, cell phones, email, etc. is all agencies of abuse. “Their battleground becomes the telephone and social media--where put-downs, name calling and jealousy manifest in angry phone calls and Facebook posts” (Duret). Some do not fully realize the effect words can have on a person. Words hurt. Next, sexual violence in teen relationships is the highest on the list. Dangers may include non-consented touching and kissing, forced sex, or pornography. As stated on the website loveisrespect.org, “girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experiences the highest rate of intimate partner violence—almost triple the national average” (Dating Abuse Statistics). These issues can lead to unplanned pregnancy, attempted suicide and serious emotional instability. Staying alert to these issues not only is important to one’s safety, but can potentially be helpful to a future acquaintance or relationship.

All three articles address dating violence as well as sexual assault. This topic is important to me because in this day and age dating violence and sexual assault are very common with individual’s period. Regardless of the person being homosexual or heterosexual, Edwards, Sylaska, Barry, Moynihan, Banyard, Cohn, Walsh and Ward (2015) were able to show studies that included participants being victimized of sexual assault and dating violence. Sexual assault and dating violence affects a lot of individuals mentally and physically. Ollen, Ameral, Reed, and Hines (2017) stated that being victimized not only ruins a person’s way of thinking when it comes to dating being put in the situation causes trust issues throughout that person’s

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

“Nearly 1.5 million high school students across the country experience physical violence at the hands of a dating partner each year” (Duret). Teenage dating violence is on the rise. Due to recent advances in technology, abuse issues are more prevalent; technology allows room for students to lash out over text messaging and through social media. However, teen violence can be prevented. The government has established laws and campaigns to educate and protect victims. Teenagers go through many changes during their adolescent years and peer influence can make it hard to decipher between right and wrong. However, by high school, teenagers should be able to determine and understand healthy relationships; unfortunately, teenage dating violence statistics continue to rise at alarming rates.

It was given to students between the ages of 12 and 17, to find the extent of cyberbullying in the particular age bracket. Five different forms of bullying was reported, with insults having the highest percentage reported, embarrassing pictures being the lowest, and threats, privacy violation, and password theft in between. Almost 1/5 of the respondents reported repeated experiences, and 72% reported that they had been bullied online during the past year. In 2002, Finn (2004) documented survey results that 10 to 15% of 339 students at University of New Hampshire had experienced multiple e-mail or IM messages that “threatened, insulted or harassed” (pg. 2) them. A survey that was given to 666 students at a university in Turkey in 2009 was used to assess the psychological needs of the cyberbully. The results that were found from this survey were “that aggression and succorance positively predicted cyberbullying, but interception negatively predicted it” (pg. 2). Also, 22.5% of students reported that they had cyberbullied at least once, and 55.3% reported that they had been a victim of cyberbullying at least once in their lifetime (Dilmac, 2009). Technology is becoming more accessible to today’s youth, and more questions are arising because of this. Extended research is needed to focus on the increase of technology and its impact on the events that are rooted from

Not only does the overuse of the internet and social media cause mental problems, but increasing behavioral problems in the relationships of adolescents has been observed. The article “Understanding the Role of Technology in Adolescent Dating and Dating Violence” by Charlene Baker and Patricia Carreño discusses how the use of online forms of social media stunts the normal development of romantic relationships in the young, allows for people to harass others without facing consequences, and even molds what will develop into mentally and physically abusive relationships. A study done on adolescents showed, “…adolescents rely on technology for communication with, establishing control over, verbally abusing, seeking help, and reconnecting with

Social networking and other social technology allows for interactions to occur between friends and family regardless of their location. While people remain social through communicating at a constant rate, the essence of face-to-face interactions is in part affected. In romantic relationships, open and honest communication with one’s partner is critical to the trust and development of the relationship. Young adults use social technology such as the Internet and mobile phones on a daily basis to maintain their relationships. Due to the miscommunication that often occurs from not a lack of face-to-face interactions, social technology shapes the way romantic relationships function. Therefore, social technology impacts romantic relationships

“I wanted to say bye… for, like, ever” (Abigail Pesta). Those were the last words Rebecca Sedwick texted to her two middle school friends before jumping to her death. This is one of many cases where bullying has been a common cause of death especially for young adolescents. A statistic from bullyingstastics.org states that 1 in 3 adolescents have experienced cyber threats online. Based on the research, now with advanced technology and social media sites, cyberbullying is a growing concern today. There is no federal anti-bullying law, but every state has their own laws. With each cyberbullying case being unique, defining this recent phenomenon can be challenging. This paper will look to address the issues behind cyberbullying, ways it can be stopped, and a universal definition that can be applied to these hateful acts.

Prevention is essential in addressing teen dating violence. Teen dating violence has significant long-term and short-term effects on a teenager’s physical and mental health (Korchmaros et al., 2013). Teenagers are in a vulnerable time in their lives as their experiences set behavior patterns that they will carry with them as they transition into young adulthood. The integration of technology in the lives of teenagers has provided new tools for perpetrators to abuse their partner. Yet, teenagers are unable to identify these key factors because adults and parents minimize the impact a dating relationship can have at a young age. Technology is a danger and a threat to future adult relationships these teenagers will have because of the minimization

According to the CDC (2014) and Hickman (2004), teen dating violence can be violence done to someone in person or electronically. We are learning through recent studies that social media is a new way to victimization and perpetration in dating violence (Jones, Mitchell, & Finkelhor, 2012). For example, in a study by Ybarra and Mitchell (2008), adolescents were being sexually solicited through social networking sites; 33% of the youth reported being harassed online, 43% were solicited through instant messaging, 32% through chat rooms, and most of the harassment was frequently completed through instant messaging versus social networking sites. In addition, text messaging solicitation was twice as high from 2006 to 2008 with sending unwanted

For such a long time, physical bullying has been the largest problem schools and parents had to face with their children, but now another form of bullying has arisen; cyber bullying. In society today, teens are drawn cell phones, laptops, and other technological advancements. Social media is a way for many teens and adolescents to interact with one another and share countless happenings of their personal lives. Cyber bullying occurs when individuals use the internet to send or comment cruel and unnecessary messages to another. In its various forms cyber bullying includes, indirect and direct harassment, posting inappropriate pictures, impersonating another being, or just being plain cruel. Although anyone can become a victim of cyber bullying, improper use of the internet can further induce harassment, due to the adolescents desire to use modern day technologies. The harassers could be classmates, online “friends’’, or anonymous users. One barrier that is difficult to overcome is determining who is responsible for the attacks online, because many bullies hide behind fake usernames or profiles to protect their real identity, which is commonly known as “hiding behind a screen”. (Bonanno 2013). The motives for a cyber-bully are never clear, some might say