When I was thinking about topics I was reading through the chapters in The Curious Researcher and saw how it talked about the Internet a lot. Most of us can agree that we spend a majority of our time on social networks but what people don’t think about is how they might be a victim or contribute to cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can range from calling someone a name on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or any social media site.
When a child is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child is what is considered cyber bullying. Many people now a days don’t even realize that they are doing it. It can be so minor that you post a status saying I hate you and that is considered cyber bullying. Most people contribute to cyber bullying because of anger or frustration with another person and it fuels them to do it. Others can do it because they are bored and want excitement. Even when people don’t post to many tweets, I find people on my Twitter saying stuff like, “Lets see a twitter fight to liven up tonight!” Some of their friends might enjoy them making fun of someone else so they could have someone forcing them to be mean. Especially in middle school, there is a constant urge to be “popular” and sometimes that means picking on people to get to the top. This is where cyber bullying falls into place.
Just the other day I logged onto my Twitter account and witnessed cyber bullying myself. Some people on my timeline were arguing about each other because of their boyfriend. When kids are younger and are victims of this, most are tempted to commit suicide. About a year ago there was this young boy from my hometown who did in fact commit suicide because he was being cyber bullied. It is very sad and a shame that people can say those things to other people. There was this movie that I saw too about cyber bullying and sometimes victims are scared to tell anyone about what is happening to them because they can be ashamed thus leading them to have no one to turn to. It is really sad that this actually happens to people and that it can hurt them so much their willing to give up their lives. It is a lot easier to say mean things when your writing it to a computer but still, words hurt just as much as saying it to someone’s face.
I think that cyber bullying will eventually die down; once kids learn about the consequences and how it can really hurt people, they will stop cyber bullying. Lets just hope this is soon so that we can stop all the rude and hurtful comments people say about each other!
So my questions to the class…
Have you ever been a victim of cyber bullying? What happened?
Have you ever been an instigator of cyber bullying?
Do you have any other ideas on how to stop cyber bullying?
No, I have never been a victim of cyber bullying and I am not a cyber-bully myself. However, I did watch the movie about cyber bullying, and I thought it was a very scary movie that does accurately portray just how mean people can be on the internet, and how hopeless the victims feel. Unfortunately, I don’t have the miracle formula that can weed out all of the bullies out there. People can say to increase the security to look for kids like these bullies and shut their account down. Well, yeah, that may work temporarily, but they’ll just make another account and keep wreaking their havoc among susceptible middle and high schoolers. As sad as it is, I feel like the only way for people to understand how scary and sad this situation is, is for them to experience it themselves or to be directly affected by it. A lot of people feel like it won’t happen to them, but to someone else. Well, we are all someone else to someone else. And most people don’t take it seriously because they think that it’s funny and that it’s “just a joke”. Well, it’s not, and I feel like most people won’t get the picture until they see firsthand just how powerful words can be, even those said over the internet.
ReplyDeleteNo, I have never been a victim of cyber bullying and have never cyber bullied anyone. Cyber bullying is pretty vicious when i have seen it on others computers. I don't have any online accounts that are public so i avoid it all together. I guess that would be my best advice, keep your accounts private or delete them.
ReplyDeleteI have neither been a cyber bully nor been cyber bullied. However, I have witnessed fights, drama, and absolute cruelness on the Internet before... especially on Facebook. I think that people find it much easier to talk disrespectfully towards others via the Internet. They feel that they won't have consequences. Also, it is just "words on a page," right? But this isn't true. Obviously there have been huge ramifications of cyber bullying: depression, anxiety, refusal to go to school, and worst of all, suicide. The best way for kids to stay away from cyber bullying is for their parents to teach them about it and to tell them no matter how scared they are, that they must tell an adult if it happens to them.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been cyber bullied and I haven't cyber bullied someone else either. The use of the Internet as reality is increasing dramatically. The typical crime, bullying, etc. is being transferred into the Internet world. Not only is bullying becoming more known and made aware of in reality, but it is growing on the Internet as well. People use Facebook, Twitter, and social networking sites as tools to reach out to other people when they otherwise can't in reality. I think more education about cyber bullying, want it is, and the affects it has on people along with the consequences would help in stopping cyber bullying.
ReplyDeleteYes I have been a victim of cyber bullying via Twitter and the sad thing is was by my supposedly best friend. Some best friend right? Well you can definitely say we aren't best friends really anymore. I have never been an instigator for cyber bullying. I think it wrong and no one is perfect so why should someone harp negatively on someone else. I dont think there is a way to stop cyber bullying unless Facebook, Twitter, and other social medias are band. People are going to post/say whatever they want because there aren't any consequences really for cyber bullying.
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit it but yes I have cyber bullied before and been cyber bullied in return. It was ridiculous and I really don’t know why I did it. Maybe because it was just a heat of the moment thing but I got in trouble with my high school peer mediation counselor and it was this whole dumb ordeal. Me and this other girl that I don’t particularly care for got into some drama and her friend wanted to stick up for her and call me out. And she did but she cyber bullied me right back. Not saying that two wrongs make a right but I mean I guess I started it and made this situation for myself. We made up in the end because it turns out that the girl that I don’t care for stabbed her friend sticking up for her in the back and she now doesn’t care for her either. Were all friends now and keep in touch and everything is all better.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a victim nor have i ever instigated cyber bullying. I believe any form of bullying is wrong and i would never inflict any kind of pain on someone. You dont know what that person could be going through at home and it takes one mean word to throw them over the edge. There are so many cases of suicide because of bullying and it is ridiculous that kids will bully other kids to the point of death, and feel nothing. I could never ever hurt someone, especially to the point where they feel so worthless. I believe bullying needs to be stopped and it has to be done now.
ReplyDeleteI have never been the victim nor the bully in cyber bullying. When I'm on the internet, I watch the things I say because I know that whatever is said cannot be taken back, not that I'm a mean person cause I'm not but even with simple things like my opinion, I try to be as brief as possible.
ReplyDeleteI have never been cyber bullied, or been a victim of cyber bullying. I don't think there is a way to completely stop cyber bullying. The best that can be done about it is keep explaining it to the kids how they hurt others by doing cyber bullying, this may lead to less cyber bullying
ReplyDeleteI have been a victim of it. I wronged somebody and I was sorry about it, but instead of forgiving me they put it all over Facebook and made me look like a horrible person and now I have a lot of guilt for something that did not deserve that kind of punishment. I don't believe that things should be censored on Facebook, but it would be nice to sometimes to protect people from cyber-bullying.
ReplyDeleteI have never personally been through cyber bullying. But I see it every day. People on Facebook bully each other daily by putting embarrassing status' or pictures of others, and they can't do anything about it! I don't think there is anything else anyone can do about it. They are put in things now where you can report them but thats pretty much it.
ReplyDeleteI have never been cyber bullied or been a cyber bully. The idea of it is so sad. Kids need to know and understand that if someone is choosing to do this to them the simplest solution is to delete the account or make it private. The people you choose to see your profile should be real friends who would never attempt to make you a cyber bullying victim.
ReplyDeleteI actually believe that everyone has been cyberbullied to some extent, whether it was a complaint to a status, or a direct messaging saying that they should go kill themselves. And, contrary to your words, I do not believe that cyberbullying will ever stop - the internet allows a voice that would otherwise never be heard. It is a place where you can literally be anyone you would want to be, and that includes someone who holds power. In this case, that power is portrayed through cruel means of harassment. And because of the openness of the internet, as well as the privacy factor, I do not believe there is a true way to stop cyberbullying.
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't because cyber bullying is too generalized by your post. People have joked me on facebook but I don't feel I was a victim of "bullying," they were just laughing at something I did. Honestly, most of the time when I'm "made fun of" it's actually always funny. Seriously, I don't think cyber bullying is as narrow as saying you hate someone, sometimes it's at someone who rightfully wronged you. Rather, I would say cyber bullying is only when the opressor has no valid reason for hateful actions. Because if the definition of anyone who types hate were true, my mom and close friends families cyber bully each other all day! Either way, I think people who can't handle "cyber bullying" are just not strong enough people. I was bullied all the time in real life were people would say I was fat and joke me for things I couldn't understand. But I realized later that they joked me/didn't like me because I was always annoying, loud and obnoxious. Sometimes, people are joked because they are acting childish, loud, or obnoxious and I honestly don't think that's bad. If they didn't, not only did it make me stronger but I would still be fat and annoying. I think every situation should be analyzed better before calling it cyber bullying. If a kid is just randomly picking on some fat kid, then yeah...thats bullying.
ReplyDeleteI don't get on social network sites enough to be cyber bullied, but I did face bullying in middle school. When I was growing up my dad always told me that if I ever did get picked on that he would be perfectly fine with me fighting. He wanted me to defend myself and show that insulting me would come with consequences. I eventually did end up in two fights throughout middle school and since the dean liked me, I did not end up in trouble. I never got bothered again, especially once I started playing football. People should realize that cyber bullying is from the people too scared to say it to someones face. Once they tell themselves that, words on a screen mean nothing.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a victim of cyber bullying. Honestly, there isn't really a way to get rid of it. People are always going to be wasting time with things like this. Maybe to prevent cyber bullying from happening to you in the future is to try not to get too involved with the social networking. Im not saying don't have anything but use what you have properly.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a victim nor do i remember ever instigating it. The only way to get rid of cyber bullying is to get rid of the internet. People are mean and kids are among the meanest of people who find the courage to say things online that they may never have to say in person. This comfort and the growth of social networking sites makes stopping cyber bullying impossible
ReplyDeleteI have never been a victim of cyber bullying. I believe that only the people who go looking for the trouble are the ones that end up in something like cyberbullying, something that can easily be avoided. I have never been an instigator of cyber bullying either. I believe that it's a very cowardly way to confront someone, and I would never steep so low as to do such a thing. It is very easy to prevent. For example, technology has become advanced enough as to simply block the person that is doing the bullying. Most victims don't have the common sense to do this; so its their fault.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a victim of cyber bullying and I haven't ever instigated it either. I think one way leaders could try to prevent cyber bullying at schools would be to make schools show videos or documentaries on what cyber bullying can lead to. They should also encourage everyone in communities to try to help prevent it and stop the bullying if they see it. After these steps are made, the victim must reach out and ask someone for help or just delete the account they have that is causing them so much anguish. A Facebook or twitter isn't worth dying for, so they should just delete their account or block the people who are bullying them. If the victim stays quiet and just takes all the bullying without asking for help, then they may hurt themselves.
ReplyDeleteI have never been cyber bullied, nor have I been the advocate of cyber bulling. As long as there are ways to socialize over the internet, there will be cyber bulling. However, making people aware of the issue is always a good jumping off point for finding ways to minimize this issue.
ReplyDeleteI can't really think of a time that i was cyber-bullied. I mean, I am sure there have been times where people have said rude or mean things to me online but i didnt take it as bullying. I dont really react to that too much. I just dont talk to people who are that mean and if they keep harassing me I do this great thing called blocking them that works out pretty well. I honestly believe that the reason why blocking people on facebook, twitter, and your email is possible is because they wanted to help stop cyber-bullying. You just have to know when to block people. I know at my middle school cyber-bullying was taken care of pretty well because every email or chat that occured on the schools computer was monitored by staff. Yes, some of it went without notice, but a lot of it was caught and handled.
ReplyDeleteI have never been cyber bullied and I have never taken part in it. I have heard the horror stories of kids hurting themselves as a result of cyber bullying, and I think that it needs to stop. Unfortunately, the only way that cyber bullying can be eliminated would be to completely eliminate social media. Because this is unrealistic, a campaign against cyber bullying in public schools could be the next best thing. By teaching children young what kind of harm this form of bullying can cause others, the amount of bullying could be minimized.
ReplyDeleteI have ever cyber bullied or been a victim of cyber bullying but I have seen it happen. It is so sad how mean some people can be once you put them behind a screen. One way to stop or prevent cyber bullying would be to educate kids about what it is and what to do when they see it happening or when it is happening to them.
ReplyDeleteI have never been cyber bullied nor have I bullied anyone. I will admit that I love to see all the drama unfold when someone gets into a fight with someone else, but I would never instigate anything. As far as cyber bullying or even bullying in general, I despise it. I would never want to inflict any kind of pain on anyone; I would feel horrible and just wouldn't forgive myself altogether. I’ve always praised upon the fact that I was voted throughout my school years as Most Friendliest and I take great pride in that.
ReplyDeleteWe can further education on it in the classrooms or have family discussions based upon the subject, but either way I don't think there is a way for cyber bullying to be completely stopped. There’s nothing we can really do except emphasize the effects of cyber bullying and bullying all together to others.
I have been lucky enough to never been cyber-bullied in my life! Nor have I taken place in cyber-bullying, except if it's goofing around between close friends. I think the only way to stop cyber-bullying is to teach kids that it can hurt others! The word needs to be spread, and kids need to learn who to hang out with, and who to not hang out with.
ReplyDeleteI have been the victim and been a witness. I didn't speak up and I regrert that. So much damage is done, especially when everyone can see it.
ReplyDeleteNo, I have never been a victim of cyber bullying. But I have most likely instigated it a little bit. One time when I was on Facebook a few of my friends were commenting on one photo of this kid from school. They were giving him a hard time and teasing him because of how he looked. I just tagged along, I didn't mean to hurt anyones feelings but thinking about it now I could have really upset that kid. SOme ideas for stopping cyber bullying is to have people from the social networks look for cases of cyber bullying and report it if they find any..
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I have never been a victim of cyber bulling, as well I have never started any cyber bulling it is awful. Cyber bullying can destroy lives and hurt peoples feelings to a large extent. I believe that informing and raising awareness is the best way to reach out get the information out there.
ReplyDeleteI've been a victim of cyber bullying, but it has always been very insignificant. It's always just on Facebook when people have disagreed with me on a post or comment, and they have just called me a name or have answered back in a rude way. I don't really let people on the internet affect or offend me because after all, it is the internet and whatever happens on it shouldn't really matter.
ReplyDelete