Cyberbullying... Kills
by: Lukene Arenas and Maryellice Quinoez
Statistics of Cyberbullying
• 7 out of 10 young people have been victims of cyberbullying.
• 37% young people have experienced cyberbullying on a highly frequent basis
• 20% of young people have experienced extreme cyberbullying on a daily basis
History of Social Media
It's no secret that people spend a lot of time with electronic gadgets these days. How much time that actually is, is astonishing nonetheless: according to Nielsen's Total Audience Report, Americans aged 18 and older spend more than 11 hours a day watching TV, listening to the radio or using smartphones and other electronic devices.
Considering that most people are awake 16 to 18 hours a day, 11 hours of electronic media usage seems like a lot, but, to be fair, much of that probably happens while doing other things at the same time. It's a good thing people were given the ability to multitask; otherwise we wouldn't get a whole lot done these days.People Are Now Spending A Mind-Boggling 21 Minutes Per Day On Instagram.
The Loss of Audrie
Audrie lived to the young age of 15 years before she committed suicide due to the cyberbullying she suffered at the hands of three teens she knew. The attack involved photographs of her posted to the Internet by the boys. The photos also involved Audrie’s rape.
The case happened in September 2012, when Audrie found herself in a situation of underage drinking. During the drinking she fell unconscious which is when the trouble began. During her pass out, Audrie was then raped by the teens she was with. All the teens knew each other, which was the more shocking matter; they all attended Saratoga High School. However, the teens involved then took photos of Audrie during the attack and posted them to the Internet. For eight days after the event Audrie lived in terror, shame and fear until she finally decided suicide was the way to escape the damage and harm being continued on her mentally. Her parents had no idea what had happened until Audrie was already dead.
Now, after the 15-year-old’s death, the teens involved are under arrest and being charged with causing her death, but it won’t bring Audrie back to her family. The damage is done.
Ashley’s New Website, Unknown to Her
Ashley lives in Littleton, Colorado and has been growing up like any normal western state teen, being influenced by her peers as much as she’s influenced by her parents’ guidance. However, she never expected how invasive the Internet could be without her knowing about it or even having a say in the matter. In Ashley’s case, the bullying that occurred on its face may seem benign, but it had the potential to be far more.
Unknown to Ashley at the time, a classmate when she was 11 began taking photos over her. The images were then made part of a portfolio of information posted on the Internet with a fake social media page. The topic was Ashley and the website page was made to look as if Ashley posted everything herself. It was only through friends and third parties that Ashley became aware of the existing of the online information. The data was detailed as well; it included her school name, her home address, her family information, birthdays and more. Worse, all the data was set to be wide open to the public without any filtering or restriction. The creator of the page was confronted by denied the act. In the meantime, Ashley began to be ostracized by her friends at school. To break the freeze-out cycle Ashley had to enroll in a different middle school to regain a “clean slate.”
In Ashley’s case, the damage was limited and constrained to the loss of a few friends. However, it could have been far worse. Further, the damage was caused by another child who simply had the time and access to post whatever was desired on the Internet for anyone to read.
Catherine’s Real Life Facebook Attack
In some cases the cyberbullying is generated by the virtual presence. In the case of Catherine, she though anything she said on the Internet was harmless. However, she one day found that while at talking on Facebook with a friend about another acquaintance she was being targeted by a teen who took the side of the acquaintance and clearly had an aggressive view towards Catherine. She thought nothing of the matter afterwards, thinking the teen was mistaken or just off that day.
However, a few weeks later at a party, Catherine was outright physically attacked by the same individual. She left the party with a bleeding cut above her eye, but when Catherine went to the hospital at her mother’s urging, it was found that she had facial bone fractures instead. In Catherine’s case the cyberbullying went the opposite direction, manifesting from a virtual platform to a real life physical attack.
According to this website dedicated to real life bullying stories, bullying stories and cyber bullying stories are neverending, and are sadly affecting lives every single day. For example ” Jodi Plumb was distraught when she found out there was a website containing terrible comments about her. It was talking about her weight and they estimated a time of her death. Jodi’s mom went straight to the school board and asked for harsher action taken about the bullies. Jodi had been attacked twice in school. As well as people taking pictures of her for the website. Her mother was very upset.”
This is just one example of real life bullying stories that break homes and spirits every day everywhere around the world. By encouraging children to read and share these real life bullying stories, it might help as a wakeup call for them to install more kindness in their hearts towards others.
CYBERBYLLING CAUSES REAL HARM
Anti Cyberbullying Tips
Don’t respond. If someone bullies you, remember that your reaction is usually exactly what the bully wants. It gives him or her power over you. Who wants to empower a bully?
Don’t retaliate. Getting back at the bully turns you into one and reinforces the bully’s behavior. Help avoid a whole cycle of aggression.
Save the evidence. The only good news about digital bullying is that the harassing messages can usually be captured, saved, and shown to someone who can help. You need to do this even if it’s minor stuff, in case things escalate.
Talk to a trusted adult. You deserve backup. It’s always good to involve a parent but – if you can’t – a school counselor usually knows how to help. Sometimes both are needed. If you’re really nervous about saying something, see if there’s a way to report the incident anonymously at school.
Block the bully. If the harassment’s coming in the form of instant messages, texts, or profile comments, do yourself a favor: Use preferences or privacy tools to block the person. If it’s in chat, leave the “room.”
Be civil. Even if you don’t like someone, it’s a good idea to be decent and not sink to the other person’s level. Also, research shows that gossiping about and trash talking others increases your risk of being bullied. Treat people the way you want to be treated.
Don’t be a bully. How would you feel if someone harassed you? You know the old saying about walking a mile in someone’s shoes; even a few seconds of thinking about how another person might feel can put a big damper on aggression. That’s needed in this world.
Be a friend, not a bystander. Watching or forwarding mean messages empowers bullies and hurts victims even more. If you can, tell bullies to stop or let them know harassment makes people look stupid and mean. It’s time to let bullies know their behavior is unacceptable – cruel abuse of fellow human beings. If you can’t stop the bully, at least try to help the victim and report the behavior.
Values vs Cyberbullying
RESPECT- Treat people the way you want to be treated. If you respect everyone you will never be a bully.
TRUSTWORTHY- Be a trustful person. If someone tels you something make sure you keep it to yourself. Never post anything in the web that can make anyone fell bad about themselves.
CARING- care for your friends, family and everyone protect them on the internet especialy in social sities.
Top 3 values that we shouldn't share on the web.
UNFRIENDLY- Even if someone is not your friend. Do not post anything that can make them feel bad.
DISREPCTFUL- Never be disrespectful to others, defenetly not in the internet.
HARMFUL- Do not harm anyone, because you can acctualy harm them pretty bad. Including sucidal thoughts, and sometimes suacide.