cyber bullying outline and thesis

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.

Cyberbullying is the act of bullying through means such as the internet or other electronic devices that let one person communicate with another.

Cyberbullying is an everyday situation for teenagers around the world. Many teenagers suffer from bullies that are treating them badly and differently than other people. Individuals should be prosecuted for statements made on social media because of the impact that it has on the victim. The cyberbully should be prosecuted because of how the victim reacts to the situation, how the bully harrasses them, and how it spreads around the internet.

incapable and incompetent. For an example, cyberbullying is where a person is bullied through electronic

Cyber Bullying is defined by the National Crime Prevention Council as - "when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person" (National Crime Prevention Council).

Cyberbullying is a form of written and verbal bullying which is conveyed by teens and adolescents through communication technologies such as cell-phones, emails, text messages, websites, webcams and chatrooms. It also includes taking sexual photographs by ex-partners and sending to others after

In the 21st century, Technology has transformed society in revolutionary ways. Anyone is able to instantly communicate with someone else via email, text or social media. Even though instant communication can achieve extraordinary things, it can also be used for horrible things. In fact, one of the biggest problems that schools face is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the act of harming or harassing another person using the internet.

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.

The definition of cyberbullying is ‘the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.’

Cyberbullying is the abuse of an electronic source to degrade and devalue others. It is cruel and immoral but unfortunately unavoidable in today’s age.

Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.

Doctors Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin defined cyberbullying as “willful and repeated harm to others inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” (208). It is a serious problem amongst children and teens all around the world. Many consider cyberbullying as merely expressing one’s thoughts which is considered freedom of speech. Many live in constant fear of what’s the next thing that’s going to be said about them. Although cyberbullying is considered freedom of speech and is therefore not breaking the law, it should ultimately be illegal because it causes low academic performance, depression and suicide in teens and young adults.

Cyber bullying is a new phenomenon that even the most tech savvy wasn’t prepared for. It allows the aggressor to pick on their victim at all hours of the day. It’s not limited to the classroom anymore; it allows the bully to enter the victim’s safe zone: home. Emails, instant messaging, photo transmitting, and social media outlets are the fuel that feeds this behavior. In traditional bullying, at the end of the day you can escape the torment, but with cyber bullying, there is no escape.

Technology can be used in many ways to cyber bully. Barnardos released a booklet in 2012 outlining a number of key risk factors of cyber bullying. Personal intimidation includes actions such as sending out threatening text messages, posting abusive and threatening comments on the victim’s Facebook profiles or other websites and the use of instant messaging in chat rooms etc. to threaten the victim further. Impersonation involves setting up fake profiles and web pages that are attributed to the victim; this also involves hacking or gaining access to the victims profile to contact or instant message others. Exclusion encompasses blocking an individual from a class group or community group on a social media website. Personal humiliation is a behaviour that involves posting images or videos of the victim that are intended to embarrass or humiliate them. This can be done on Facebook or by text messaging etc. And lastly false reporting, this is where the bully reports the victim to the service provider for a range of behaviours with a view to having the account suspended, blocked or deleted (Get With It, 2012).

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.