Bullying Behind the Screen

Bullying Behind the Screen 

What’s causing it, who are the perpetrators of it, and how do we stop it? 

 

The chain of cyberbullying portrayed by Daryn Rowley 

 

In today’s “chronically online” world, only a few people are likely to confront or insult someone face to face. However, many more people are likely to when they can do so behind a screen. Rattling off a text message or social media post has become a quick and seemingly less harmful way for bullies to spread their negativity.  

 Let’s face it, before the widespread use of social media and the ability to be anonymous on the internet, people didn’t have as much time or confidence to accumulate a stinging response, backspace words and craft the “perfect message” that hurts others while facing no consequences. 

 Cyberbullying is a worldwide problem that has come with irresponsible use of social media and cell phones. While it affects users of all ages, it has primarily devastating impacts on the mental health, self-esteem, and socialization, of the younger generation.   

Cyberbullying is a form of harassment or bullying that can be done between groups or individuals, and involves communication via cell phones, computers, the internet, and social media. Also, it is the most prevalent among teenagers and young adults. With that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the increase of social media platforms and technology over the past few years has come with an increase of cyberbullying.   

Recent research has shown 56.2% of teenagers have said they have been cyberbullied at some point. But, if that many adolescents have reported to have been bullied, who are the bullies? Within that same study, it was found that 5.3-31.5% of teens have admitted to being the bully themselves. So, what is causing the never-ending cycle of online harassment and what are the effects? 

Described as a public health problem, cyberbullying is both a cause and effect of severe mental health problems among teens such as anxiety, depression, and delinquency. With 95% of the younger generation being active on the internet, a lot of face-to-face interactions that were once had between kids and young adults are now happening online, making it even harder for symptoms of mental health issues to be recognized.  

Social media and the internet in general also play a huge role in the self-esteem and self-confidence of teens. While social media can have positive influences like being able to express yourself or learning about and trying new things, most of the time the bad outweighs the good. With excessive use of social media, comes excessive opinions, comments, hate, and comparisons made with every post and message. Research has shown that increased use of social media aligns with a decrease in self-esteem and people being happy with themselves in their life. 

In a world that seems to revolve around the internet and social media, there can be negative impacts on the socialization and relationships among the younger generation. While traditional or “in-person” bullying is by no means okay, it may not be as detrimental as cyber bullying can be. Without face-to-face interactions, the perpetrator cannot see the victim's reaction. Bullying can also happen much faster, repeatedly, and is more permanent. Their words are there for the victim to read over and over again. Even worse, the perpetrator cannot see the true effects that their harm has done to the victim when all of it happens behind a screen.

No facial expressions or social cues seen allow things, even if not meant to be harmful, to be misinterpreted very easily. It was found that adolescents who were affected by cyberbullying were said to have a fewer number of or troubles with friendships, and had trust issues with others. These things combined contribute to the younger generation lacking important communication and social skills, which keeps the cycle of online negativity alive. 

The site Delete Cyberbullying shares a mission statement, stories of teens, and solutions all promoting the end to cyberbullying. A quote from their site that is a prime example of what was stated above comes from “KBo.” This student stated, “I feel like the person who did this to me has no idea how much it hurt. Seriously every day I hear the words in my head over and over again and it hurts just as much as when I first read them." 

Anyone with a good conscience should agree that any form of bullying is wrong. Especially, with living in a world consumed by technology and the internet, people should recognize cyberbullying as horrible too. But, when it comes to social media and posts with hurtful content or comments, one may argue, “People take things too seriously,” or, “No one can take a joke anymore, this isn’t even that offensive.” In fact, 63% of Republicans were reported to think hate or offensive comments online to be not a big deal or taken too seriously. However, no online users know the true magnitude of the hurt even a single negative comment can cause unless they are on the receiving end. Of course, being able to express opinions or thoughts freely on social media is crucial, but users having safe and positive experiences on social media is just as important.  

Furthermore, when we see major political figures or celebrities participating in putting others down on the internet, one may brush their own rude comment under the rug with saying, “If they can say what they think why can’t I?”  

 

Political cartoon from Crooks and Liars 

When our former president is participating in cyberbullying himself, how are his followers supposed to take cyberbullying encounters of their own as serious problems? Ever heard of “leading by example,” Trump? 

 

One example of Trump’s infamous tweets from Crooks and Liars 

 

And here he goes again... from Twitter.com 

Though social media users should have the freedom to post and comment on what they want, there is a fine line between expressing an opinion or joking, and being flat out mean. Having freedom of speech is human dignity, but so is treating others with respect and positivity.  

As a lot of this world revolves around being online, creating positive environments is crucial to the mental health, self-esteem, and social skills of users, especially the younger generation. Messaging and posting hurtful things about others can be very detrimental, and the sooner it stops the better. Coming across cyberbullying so often may make it seem like it's not that serious of an issue, but the effects are heavier than one may think. Next time you consider posting or sending something negative, think about that face on the other side of the screen and what their reaction would be.