The internet has become part and parcel of our daily lives. It has bridged the distances between cultures, continents, languages and countries.
It is a powerful tool for education, communication and sharing. Or so it seems. In recent years there has been an upsurge in cyber bullying across the globe.
This is despite the existence of laws against online harassment and intrusion of privacy. cyber bullying can also be termed as cyber stalking.
If you’ve never heard the term cyber bullying, it’s ain’t that hard to describe. Bullying is a legal term. The legal definition of bullying varies from state to state and country to country. Haunting, tormenting, harassing, threatening, and interfering with an individual’s life are all actions that might fall under the umbrella of stalking or bullying.
Cyber bullying is the use of electronic communication to stalk another person, forge or fabricate electronic messages to harass or threaten someone.
Cyber bullying is the use of information and communication technologies to stalk or harass an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization.
According to the cyber-bullying statistics, one out of three young people have been a target and about 50% of 12- to 19-year-olds in the United States have witnessed negative behavior on social media.
According to the same source, at least 1 out 5 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have electronically bullied another individual. This number is much higher for teens and adolescents since the majority of them use mobile phones and computers.
CYBER BULLYING AND WHY PEOPLE DO IT
There are a multitude of reasons why people carry out the act of cyber stalking. The first reason is socialization issues.
Many perpetrators of cyber bullying have had significant difficulties in developing socially compatible relationships with their peers.
This is probably due to childhood neglect or abuse, or some similar traumatic experience in their past which has resulted in bad personality traits, such as hostility, narcissism .
Such people have a great difficulty building ordinary relationships with others
. Due to their lack of skill in face-to-face relationships, they compensate by creating multiple online identities (known as ” sock puppetry”) that enable them to enjoy an illusion of power and control over other people, leading to a false sense of superiority.
Cyber bullying is often motivated by revenge, jealousy, or the need to control another person. Some cyber stalkers operate from a distance and may never meet their victims.
However, many cyber stalkers also use physical stalking methods in conjunction with their cyber activities.
It encompasses a range of behavior by means of email and instant messaging to more serious criminal acts such as defamation and threats.
Cyber bullying is sometimes referred to as “online stalking” or “online harassment.
The term cyber bullying is most commonly used for cases in which an individual or group maintains multiple blogs or websites dedicated to derogatory information on a specific person.
HOW TO PREVENT CYBER BULLYING
Cyber bullying is a frightening epidemic. It steals the childhood from innocent, defenseless victims and leaves behind a trail of emotional upheaval and psychological damage that can last well into adulthood.
What’s even more disturbing is the fact that cyber bullying, unlike “traditional” bullying, is done with the click of a mouse or simple tap on a cell phone screen and does not require face to face contact – which poses an entirely new problem in itself.
Unfortunately, almost all young people are victims of cyber bullying at some point in their lives. They commit suicide because of online harassment and bullying.
The number of victims who completed suicides tripled in the last 20 years. In the past years, cyber bullying has become a serious problem and some countries are already making laws to discourage it.
Cyber bullying is amongst one of the worst thing one could go through. it could have traumatic consequences such as severe depression and suicide.
The causes of cyber bullying vary but they all lead to the same result – the tear away of someone’s self esteem. Would you like to know how to prevent cyber bullying?
The first step towards stopping cyberbullying is recognizing that it exists on your own campus or within your community.
Cyber bullying is a form of harassment using the internet or any other digital communication device. Cyber bullying has become more common in recent years, with the increase in mobile phone ownership and social media use. It can include activities such as sending mean texts or emails, spreading rumors, attacking someone’s reputation online and excluding someone from an online group.
Cyber bullying can be difficult to deal with because it’s anonymous and usually done through technology that makes it easy to hide your identity.
Block the person who’s harassing you on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
If they send you messages through email or text messages, report them to their service provider and block them from contacting you again.
If they’re harassing you through instant messaging programs like Skype, try logging out of your account when they’re around so they can’t contact you anymore.
If this doesn’t work, consider changing your phone number so they can’t reach you by phone either (but remember that this may also affect your friends’ ability to reach
If you have any concerns about online harassment by others at your school, talk with someone who cares about you and will help you get through this difficult time in your life
If you feel that someone is cyber bullying you continues don’t ignore it! You can report the incident to your school or local police department. You may also want to talk to a parent or guardian about the situation before it gets worse.
It’s important to remember that cyber bullying is a crime just like any other type of bullying. If you are being cyber bullied, contact your local law enforcement agency immediately so they can investigate the case and determine if it should be prosecuted as a crime.
Keep a diary of what happens so that if things get worse, you’ll have evidence that could help stop the bullying.
If you feel comfortable doing so, talk to someone about what’s going on – like an adult family member or friend who can help.
If things are getting out of hand and you don’t feel comfortable talking about it with an adult, contact us via email for how best to deal and stop the act of cyber bullying immediately from those harassing you. we always keep your conversation confidential .
cyber bullying is a very harsh and unfair happening , no one actually deserves it . thank you for helping me get to the root of my matter . i really appreciate you guys here.