The Rise of Cyber Bullying

Following the technological advancement of the Internet, people are now able to communicate at a level never previously attained regardless of physical distance from each other, because the Internet is available to most of us cheaply.

People can now communicate with friends, relatives and strangers through the Internet. We can make connections based on our interests, and not just by our social ties or proximity with others. This causes the status boundaries to be torn down, as people are easily found, identified and approached which allow them to exchange ideas and interests beyond the control of their local authorities thus having more freedom to enjoy the benefits we get from the Internet.

However, the abuse of this freedom has lead to the rise of cyber bullying, making use of information and communication technologies to harm others intentionally. Victims are mostly children or teenagers as they are not matured enough to have the ability to handle it and most bullies think that they are teasing instead of bullying thus the bullying usually won’t stop until a third party revealed it.

It is also hard to identify the bullies as through internet, they are able to stay anonymous. The bullying also get even worse due to the anonymity as the bullies can do whatever they want without being identified. This led to many victims choosing suicide as a way to relieve themselves from the agony being mentally scarred.

Actions must be taken to prevent further tragedy to happen. Parents can help by keeping a lookout for their children for any sign of unusual depression or mood swing as victims tend to keep the bullying to themselves because of fear and spend more time having a talk with your children in a nice tone to understand their problems.

Teenagers must also learn to seek help if bullying happens to them. The mindset of the victim plays a crucial role too as they should never give in to the bullies, thus allowing them to achieve their ultimate aims. Cyber bullies more often than not want victims to feel bad and victimized by them. Therefore, to prevent such happenings, victims of cyber bullying should always maintain a positive outlook, and not be the least affected by doings of the bullies they encounter. If they are able to achieve this point, what the bullies are doing will have no effect on them. However, if they have a negative mindset, it will most probably cause psychological hurt and trauma.

DONE BY: LOWPEISI JOLENE(11)~