Blogpost 5: Cyberbullying

Knocking you out and stealing your sandwich, this is how they bully before. Since social networking sites are the new place where teens hang out, this is where bullies hang out too! If you think you're safe behind your screens, well, think again. They can, and will still slap the shame out of you. They will hunt you and make your life miserable. Bullies don't care where, as long as you are there. You can run but you can't hide from them. Specially now, social networking sites make the world smaller. And worst, everyone can witness how they make fun of you. But how do they do it? With the use of technology, of course.

Bullying doesn't end. Bullies are everywhere, so be aware! They could be anywhere. I read the article "Cyber-bullying on the Rise" by Jim Gibson from the site www.canada.com. It is stated there that cyberbullying doesn't rely with just fists and cruel tounge. Bullying today is probably effortless now. The internet, the door for bullies. Bullying used to take place at school, but with the internet, everything is unlimited. You can bully everyone for hours, without getting exhausted. It is hard to detect who is the bully now, because you can't see a person face to face in social networking sites. Cyber bullies hide in the internet, why? There is a very less chance that adults would interrupt them. Adults are inactive in using these sites, so social networking sites are most probably populated with teenagers. 

Technology changed the way teenagers interact. Today's children are far more electronically connected. We can all have fun, but some don't notice that they are the object of somebody. Usually, bullying takes place where everyone can see except for the person being bullied. They could intentionally hurt you by teasing, indimidation, rumour or exclusion. They would send funny messages to everyone which you are the subject, making fun of your pictures. Posting unpleasant comments at your photos where everyone can see it. They would also edit your pictures just to look funny and eventually post it. Some people being bullied went viral, and that's really hard. You feel like the world is laughing at you. You can't even go outside or at school because everyone would be teasing you. And for some cases, some people being bullied, end up killing theirselves.

"Kids don't understand it's a public document as soon as it's on the Internet. They don't think it's illegal or can be easily traced" Jim Gibson said. Some kids post everything online and they don't know people are also browsing their profiles. Once an adult notices the bully, that is the time he/she will be in trouble. However, some bullies hide some of their personal information and uses different names for a less chance to know their true identities.

Since cyberbullying is now considered a crime, cyber crime laws in some countries are approved. One of the reasons is because the suicide rate of teenagers increases every year due to cyberbullying. I read the article "Cyberbullying linked to suicidal thoughts in Children" by T.S Blanchard from the site www.theinternational.org. Based on the article, prevelance of cyberbullying is increasing. Growth of suicide rate is strongly linked to cyberbullying than the traditionan face-to-face bullying. Children that are being bullied in the social networking sites are more humiliated because the Internet has wider audience. As a result, more people will laugh and make fun of the person being bullied. 

Comparing to some countries, cyberbullying is not mainstream because social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter are banned, like in Japan. Some countries are not really into computers, so there is a less chance of cyberbullying. However, for countries with advanced technology and active social networkers, there is a large possibility that cyberbullying occur. That is why cyberbullying is considered as a crime, and is punishable.

"As suicides and suicide attempts by teenagers who have been victims of online bullies receive widespread media attention, preventing cyberbullying and protecting the well-being of young people in the era of digital technologies has become more pressing than ever before" Blanchard said. Things are getting complicated nowadays. Cyberbullying can push someone to kill himself. Just because of humiliation in public with a very large amount of audience, children tends to commit suicide. We should be worried in our society. 

In conclusion, we should be aware with the people in social networks. These people could blackmail us or humiliate is in public. Tell kids to be careful of being active in media. The more they are exposed, the chance of being cyberbullied is larger. Ignore someone if they are sending you pictures of people they make fun of or repot them if possible. We should use technology wisely, never use it to hurt someone.