Photo by pandasecurity.com
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place through the use of communication tools. Cyberbullying consists of sending harmful messages that can ruin someone’s reputation and sometimes hurt them in real life. According to stopbullying.gov, “It can include personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior” (Stop Cyberbullying). Many of the unlawful acts of cyberbullying consists of doxxing and death threats. Doxxing is when someone reveals private information about a user like their address. Doxxing ruined many people’s lives as some are shamed for the reason of staying anonymous.
Death threats are threats usually made anonymously to kill another person or a group of people. Most of the time, the people who made these threats do not actually mean it; they just want to intimidate the user. But it’s best for the user to report the threat to law enforcement just in case the threat is real. According to onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org, “Because so many social media platforms offer anonymity, and because disgruntled users can so easily issue threats that they may have no intention of acting on, it’s a challenge to assess whether or not an online threat is real. Unfortunately, there is no exact formula for knowing when to turn to the police. You are the best person to judge whether or not your safety, or the safety of your loved ones, has been compromised” (Pen America).
Photo by mn2s.com
Where Does Cyberbullying Take Place
Cyberbullying happens in many different types of platforms with email being the most used platform to communicate with peers. According to Learnsafe.com, “The Pew Research Center reports that 64% of teens use email to communicate with friends” (Learn Safe). E-mail is a tool used to communicate with peers, but it can also be a dangerous tool in the hands of bullies. Bullies can share private information such as addresses and passwords for other devices. Learnsafe.com adds that, “This information which can include inappropriate images and revenge, porn can be easily shared. Sometimes, teens will share passwords, allowing them to spread damaging information through drafts” (Learn Safe).
Social media contains the most amount of cyberbullying. Bullies usually post embarrassing images of users, send direct messages, and create group chats that harass and humiliate their victims. According to Learnsafe.com, “These platforms often have privacy settings that may cause a bully to believe they can hide their actions from parents, teachers, and adults. Therefore, it is even more important to monitor their social media accounts” (Learn Safe). The positives about social media is that it gives a voice to everyone. But because everyone can post what they want, users can come across negative posts, which may lead to cyberbullying. According to Russell, “I will always commend the fact that social media has given a voice to everyone; even those whom may feel like they are unheard. Unfortunately, when it comes to allowing everyone to post what they may want, you may sometimes come across the pages or people who are negative; and that’s how cyberbullying occurs” (Hastac).