As I was reading the safety chapter of the “Born Digital” book, I pondered how people can have such low self-esteem as to go bully someone else and cause them to have self doubt. Technology evolves all the time and it is hard for adults to keep their children safe from cyberbullying. This is crucial because the kids that are vulnerable can potentially become ill or even in danger of their lives. Cyberbullying can take place anywhere technology is involved; cellphones, ipads, computers, even phone calls. What bothers me the most is that these bullies exploit and abuse the privelages of technology to hurt society rather than help it. Does the technology desensitize them when sending the messages? It might mask their identity and the emotions, however the person that receives the message takes everything to heart.
There was a story that caught my eye at the beginning of the year in 2011. Kameron Jacobsen, a 14-year-old boy that lived in New York committed suicide due to bullying on facebook over his sexual orientation. No one in this world should be bullied to the point of death. Despite websites like facebook and myspace emplace privacy settings to try tand make the Internet a safer environment, it does not stop bullying from taking place.
Obviously, the ones that can truly help these kids on both sides of the computer screens are the ones that are the closest to them. Adults should talk more with their children about what they do and whom they talk to online. Basically, if they have any questions they can take the advice of someone who is mature in order to set them on the right path. However, not every adult can help because no everyone has reached that maturity level.
Cyberbullying is one of the hardest crimes to control. The Internet has a huge range where anything can be done and said. Another variable is how people receive and interpret the message that is being broadcast to them. Depending on the way a message is worded, they might take the message the right or wrong way. Either way, people are still dying because of this and something needs to be done. This is becoming an epidemic because the deaths and mental illnesses that are caused by cyberbullying keeps increasing annually.
I'm really glad you wrote about this, and agree that something needs to be done. It was frustrating reading Born Digital as it almost seemed to downplay the seriousness of cyber bullying, and making it seem the exact same as regular bullying. However, I seem to be reading in the new about many more suicides resulting from cyber bullying than the other.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Catherine, I dont think enough attention is put toward bullying. I follow many outside stories that result in children posing threats on themselves because of it. It really scares and saddens me that this is what our age in time has come to.
ReplyDeleteI also decided to write about cyber bullying on my blog post this week because it also upset me a lot how so many tragedies happen because of cyber bullying and it gets me even more upset that not much can be done to punish those who are responsible for these tragedies. i believe that more should be done to help protect children, maybe some programs can be organized at schools to help educate students about cyber bullying and what can be caused if it is done. As I was looking up cites to write about on my blog I found this one! You should check it out!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stopcyberbullying.org/