Though most of the readers of Simply Squirrel Food are not in the age group of school children who seem to be the prime targets of cyberbullying, the topic is serious enough for everyone to be on the watch for it. The term is defined on Wikipedia as follows: Cyberbullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner.
Unfortunately, I don't think many of us made it through our school years without the experience of being bullied. The pain was deep yet usually kept personal as we didn't want to add any credibility to the notion that the bully's accusations might have merit. Usually all we had to do was avoid that person and/or report him or her to a superior if we feared physical harm. These days, with the prevalance of camera-equipped cell phones, text messaging and easy internet access, the issue of bullying has become much more serious than the days of old.
When bullying hits the internet, it can no longer be personal or private. The only person who is able to, at least initially, hide behind a veil of anonymity is the prepetrator. The ability to act maliciously and recklessly without being readily identified just adds fuel to the fire. Now even the timid people who would never speak-up for themselves publicly, can feel justified in exacting their revenge online. Once the defamatory information hits the cyber world, it can be easily seen by anyone and everyone and there's no getting it back.
Stories in the news:
'Most Beautiful Teen' Facebook Contest Shut Down As Parents Raise Concerns About Bullying, Safety - Huffington Post
Rutgers Student Dharun Ravi Found Guilty In CyberBullying Case - MTV.com
Cyber Bullying has Memphis Teen’s Family Taking Action - WREG News, Memphis
Though some will argue that a few stories don't add-up to a crisis, there is no question that if you or a family member becomes a victim of such an attack, you will find the matter to be serious and significant. Schools, organizations and government agencies are all trying to formulate and implement safeguards and controls in an effort to mitigate the damages after the fact. Awareness is the first step to protecting ourselves and our families proactively. I found the following website to be very informative: http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/
Have you or anyone close been the victim of cyberbullying? How did you handle it? What advice can you share?
Have a topic you'd like to see discussed on Simply Squirrel Food? Send me an email I'd love to hear from you.
I haven't, but we do discuss the concepts with our children. Very important they are not caught unawares.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting teamoyeniyi! It is good to talk to our kids about bullying whether it be on the playground or the internet. Better prepared kids will be better able to deal with the issues if and when they arise.
DeleteReaders: teamoyeniyi has written a very good article on this topic: teamoyeniyi.com/2012/03/27/bullying-isnt-cool/
No experience in that, thank God, but I do talk to my children about it alot. Bullying seems so much worse these days than it has before....teen suicide is on the rise...scary stuff. I'm one of those nosy parents...my kids do not have privacy when it comes to the internet. I am constantly checking everything they say/that is said to them, what websites are visited, etc. I've not caught any cyber bullying thus far (and hope I never do!)
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear you don't have any experience with this topic MBF. I commend you on being an involved parent and monitoring your kid's online activity. It's far better to keep them out of harm's way than try to put the pieces back together after a bad experience.
DeleteYou’ve written a great and really important article here, Jean! I think there are a lot more cases of cyberbullying going on, but people don’t realize it. Just because there only seems to be a few articles about it out there, doesn’t mean there haven’t been more cases. It really is a crisis that people—especially parents, schools and other organizations—need to be aware of. It’s not something that’s just going to go away unfortunately and we all need to be more aware of it.
ReplyDeleteAgain, great post, Jean!
I don't think it matters how many cases there really are. The fact that it can happen, and is happening is important. Even though I know the burglary/crime rate is pretty low in the area I live in, I still lock my doors. We all need to take the steps needed for the security of ourselves and our families. Thanks for sharing your comments.
DeleteI completely agree with you, Jean. I wasn't saying that it mattered how many cases there are; I was saying that just because there aren't a lot of articles in the media about it doesn't mean it's not happening. It's my firm belief that people should be more aware of cyberbullying (and bullying in general) and take precautions to protecting themselves and their families.
DeleteYou and I are on the same wavelength Felicia, awareness is important.
Deletefirst of all i want to appreciate that it is a great blog with good information on "Squirrel Food" liked reading on very interesting topic
ReplyDeleteThank you namita for your kind support. I'm always looking for other people's take on social media behaviors, let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see discussed on Simply Squirrel Food. Thanks again.
DeleteI think every kid suffers from bullying in some way, shape or form. Some it it can be blatant but I think there are times when kids don't even recognize certain behaviors that are directed toward them as actual "bullying." I can't even begin to list the stories and experiences I've heard...
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point too Diane. Bullying happens at many different levels, sometimes it can be easily blown off as mean but harmless and other times it can be totally devastating. Bullying isn't new, but the internet brings a whole different dimension to the impact it can cause.
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