The Social Communication Era

Many would agree that technology has advanced remarkably, in the past decade and has impacted the the as we know it in so many good ways. However, it has come with some downfalls as well. One of these downfalls is, the impact technology has on teenagers especially when it comes to social media and instant messaging. With that being said, there is this epidemic that the younger generations face with the internet. This includes, being harassed over the internet or cyberbullying. Unfortunately, bullying has always been an issue especially among young adolescents. However, now we have the same issue yet the bullies are able to hide behind a computer screen and this has been affecting teenagers in a negative way just as traditional bullying has. According to Merriam-Webster cyberbullying can be defined as “the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person (such as a student) often done anonymously”. Cyberbullying usually results in embarrassment and can sometimes lead to an even worse feeling if continued. According to the indicators of school crime and safety report done in 2013; 6% of students in middle school were cyberbullies and 16% of high schoolers reported that in the past year they have been harassed over the internet. Even though those numbers are smaller than students who get bullied in person, cyberbullying still has negative effects on the victim. The purpose of this paper is to reach out to kids who

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are huge contributors to cyberbullying. These social network sites grant their members the privilege to engage in the actions of the attacker which is a menace. A majority of the cyberbullied population have committed suicide due to the abusive comments. Cyberbullying has gone into a hyper drive with new devices and faster types of social media.

Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that takes place over electronic technology throughout all hours of the day that can affect teens and adolescents on their daily basis. This electronic technology includes text, gaming devices, internet, emails, blogs, cell phones, apps, computers, and tablets which can be used for positive activities but can also hurt people. According to Edwina Thomas Washington (2015), these electronic technology gives the bully the capacity to contact the victim without having a face-to-face encounter. In addition, it occurs on different social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. This harmful behavior incorporates posting, sharing, or sending opposing, conflicting, and false content regarding someone else. Additionally, it includes sharing information referring to someone else with the purpose of producing discomfort and humiliation. Some cyberbullying passes the line into illegal or culpable behavior. Through the years, cyberbullying has become very common in teenagers.

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.

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

Cyberbullying is a growing global problem due to the aspect of anonymity on social media. Not only does the inability to control social media introduces online harassment, it also reduces the ability to recognize the hate crimes because it is difficult to identify the situation and abuser. Studies show up to 53% of adolescents experience cyberbullying (Chibbaro 65). The opportunities to manipulate false identities and the inability to monitor anonymous users makes one virtually invisible on social media, thus, allows many people to behave in such a way that lacks personal responsibility. The wide social media networks allow for a greater ease for bullies to engage in oppressive conversations at any place and anytime. The number of individuals affected by cyberbullying through the use of social media emphasize social networks as the greatest contributor to violations of laws, such as those about hate crimes,

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

Technology is a big part of everyday life and some would be very lost without it. It helps benefit many in ways as helping store information, creating faster communication, and even as much as running a business. However, among teens, there also seems to be another use of technology such as cyberbullying. The internet has no limitations to what can and can’t be said, also making it easier for these bullies because it requires no face-to-face interaction. PEW Internet Research Center, FOSI, and Cable in the Classroom in 2011 took count of how many teens have experienced this cruel networking behavior and this number came out to 95 percent of social-media teens confirming seeing this type of behavior. Not only is this becoming a part of teens lives, but parents are also becoming more comfortable with this concept. PEW Internet and American Life Survey discovered in 2011 that only 7 percent of parents are worried about cyberbullying, while 33 percent of teens are victims. This hateful and cruel behavior is becoming a part of

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

Cyberbullying is an issue that has created children facing suicide, illnesses and many other dangerous means of having to fight back. We used to tell kids that words were not hurtful through sayings like “stick and stones” but nowadays they most definitely are. Technology has brought being mean to a whole new level where it is very concerning of having negative effects on kids emotional well being. According to Kessel Schneider, S., O’Donnell, L., & Smith, E. (2015), “About 80% of youth are users of social media sites, and 88% of these users have witnessed acts that were cruel or mean” (p. 612). The internet is being used to harass and bully others by spreading rumors, sharing personal information and even photos that could be embarrassing to someone. According to Kessel Schneider, S., O’Donnell, L., & Smith, E. (2015), “One of the most notable trends is the pervasive use of social networking sites, some of which include

Cyberbullying is when a person uses an electronic device to say mean and hurtful things to somebody. Cyberbullying can lead to many things such as depression, anxiety and, in worst case scenario, suicide. Eighty-five percent of children ages 13-17 have a social networking account (American Osteropathic Association, 2011). Most parents let their children be on these sites and then they don’t monitor them so they can do things like bully children or post

Cyberbullying is an unforeseen consequence of the rapid increase of children’s use of technology. Cyberbullying is a specific kind of harassment that takes place on an electric device i.e. computers, smartphones, and tablets. The aggressor will use communication tools like email, texts, and chat rooms, as well as social media sources such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Online harassment is different from a regular bullying because it is something that can happen twenty-four hours a day, it has no limits. Another reason why this type harassment is an issue is that it can happen anonymously, which makes its origins hard to trace. Children can sometimes be affected negatively by these bullies. These affects are

As the use of technology continues to increase, the disadvantages also continue to increase. In today’s time, everyone has a smart phone, or access to the internet. In adolescents, 24% of teens are on social media almost constantly and 71% are active on at least one social media site per week (Lenhart, 2015). Within the last decade cyber bullying has become the newest form of bullying, while 9% of students in grades 9-12 have experienced bullying, 15% of high school studens, alone have experienced cyberbullying in the last year (“Stop Bullying”). Adolescents are typically targeted on the internet by those who have been bullied before, to gain power, or to get revenge on someone. Cyberbullying has harmful psychological impacts on adolescents. Those whom are cyberbullied are at a higher risk for depression and feeling sad and lonely. Adolescents are also likely to struggle mentally, physically, and socially.

Socially media is a generally new wonder that has taken the world by storm during the previous decade. Though social media has provided us with unlimited capabilities to connect with people around the world and access to unlimited information, while it does provide several benefits it also provides a major downfall, cyberbullying. Cyberbullying normally refers to when a kid or juvenile is deliberately and repeatedly focused by another kid as dangers or disturbances or mortified or humiliated by methods by mobile phones or Internet advances, for example, email, messaging, social networking sites, or texting (Luxton). In a recent research approximately 2,000 middle school students, who were selected randomly from one of the most populated school districts in the United States, 20% of students reported seriously thinking about actually attempting suicide. Two common types of cyberbullying that were reported were victimization and offending. The most common form of bullying offending reported by respondents was: “I called another student mean names, made fun of or teased him or her in a hurtful way” while the most frequently cited form of bullying victimization was: “Other students told lies or spread false rumors about me and tried to make others dislike me

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