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Terri Howard-Hughes
EMAC 6372 Spring 2012
Research Paper
Bullying, in one form or another, can be traced back as far as history is documented.
Children can begin bullying one another as early as three years old (“Expert Advice on
Bullying”). In the past, most bullying was limited to the playground, school, sports events or
other places where kids met face-to-face. This is called traditional bullying. In today’s
technological world there is a new type of bullying called cyber bulling. In traditional bullying,
the child is usually bigger and stronger that their victim. In cyber bullying, the bullies do not
need to be big or strong, they just need to have access to a cell phone and/or the Internet. Today,
with social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and video-sharing sites like YouTube, bullying
toward one person can go viral, which allows people from all over the world to join in with the
bully. Even if cyber bullying does not go viral, there can be enough influence from the
perpetrator that others will join in on the bullying.
There have been documented cases of cyber bullying where the results ranged from
breakdowns to suicides of victims. This paper focuses on preteen and teen cyber bullying; the
effect it can have on young people, who should be held accountable when underage bullying
occurs, and why research on stopping cyber bullying is important. When cyber bullying leads to
young teens being ostracized and/or committing suicide, the role that viral media plays and what
can be done, needs to be evaluated and examined. Cyber bullying can be more detrimental than
schoolyard bullying for several reasons. Cyber bullying can take place at any time with cell
phones and/or computers. The bully does not need to be face-to-face with his/her victim.
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Traditional bullying usually does not happen at the victim’s home, but with cyber bullying home
is usually where the bullying occurs via the computer or cell phone. This leaves no safe place for
the victim, especially since most children need to use a computer for schoolwork.
Other ways that cyber bullying can be worse than traditional bullying are that, cyber
bullies can remain anonymous, they can say meaner things than they might in front of others,
they are less inhibited online, and hundreds of children can join in with the cyber bully.
Comments posted online are impossible to stop and can reach an unlimited amount of people.
Once negative comments or videos are posted on the Internet, it is very difficult to completely
erase them (“Cyber Bullying VS Traditional Bullying”).
In the case of cyber bullying, it does take a village to monitor what is happening with
online behavior and to teach teens what can happen and how to stop it. Because of how
detrimental cyber bulling can be, not only do the parents need to be aware of what their children
are doing online, the schools, their friends, mentors, and other family members need to keep
track of what is going on in regard to bullying via technology. This holds true on either side of
the bullying, whether the child is the perpetrator or the victim. These young people need to be
taught what is appropriate online behavior and how to deal with bullying should it happen.
Without these discussions children are left to their own devices and may open themselves to
cyber bullying by posting videos or comments online about themselves. When cyber bullying
leads to suicide, there needs to be accountability. If there is no accountability, then there is not
any reason for the bully to stop.
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Case Studies:
Jessi Slaughter
Unfortunately, some parents do not understand the negativity that can come from their
children’s online activity. There are parents who know what their children are posting, and even
though it is unhealthy behavior, they allow it, even defend it. Eleven-year-old Jessi Slaughter
(real name Jessi Leonhardt) posted comments online alleging that she had a "friends with
benefits" relationship with singer Dahvie Vanity from the band, Blood On The Dance Floor. The
comments were made by the account name "tdomf_e8e13" on the teen gossip website
StickyDrama.com. After the posting, Jessi was barraged with hateful comments. In July of 2010,
Jessi posted a video on YouTube responding to the “haters” who were bashing her. Her rant was
filled with profanity and threats. Among her comments on the YouTube video were, “You know
what? I don't give a f---. I'm happy with my life. And if you can't realize that and stop hating, I'll
pop a Glock in your mouth and make a brain slushy." In this video, Jessi also talks about how
perfect she is, "Nobody else can be this pretty with no makeup on,” boasting about her
boyfriends, "I have three. Jealousy, much?" and urging "haters" to perform certain sexual acts
and "get AIDS and die" (“Jessi Slaughter”).
In another video posted after the one above, Jessi responded again to the "haters" who
posted her real name, phone number and address online. In this video, her father appeared and
yelled at the camera saying that he contacted the "cyber police" and threatened, “if you come
near my daughter, guess what, the consequences will never be the same" (“The Jessi Slaughter
Videos: Cyber Bullying or Parents in Denial?”).
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Megan Meier
In recent years the consequences of some online postings have led to suicide. One such
incident is the suicide of Megan Meier, a 13 year old. Megan communicated via MySpace with
what she thought was a cute teenage boy named Josh Evans. After emailing back and forth for
about a month, Josh abruptly ended their MySpace friendship when he told her that she was
cruel. Shortly after that, Megan called her mother and told her that electronic bulletins were
being posted about her, saying things like, “Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat.” When
her mother returned home, she was shocked at the vulgar language her own daughter was
sending. She told her daughter how upset she was about it because her mother had monitored her
daughter’s online communications and had not seen this behavior before. After that incident,
Megan ran upstairs to her room. Her father, Ron, tried to tell her everything would be fine.
About 20 minutes later she was found hanging in her bedroom and died the next day. The day
after Megan died there was another message from Josh, telling Megan that she was a bad person
and the world would be better without her (“R.I.P., Megan Meier”).
It was not until several weeks after her death that Megan's parents found out that it was
the mother of one of Megan’s friends who had created the "Josh Evans" account. Megan had had
a falling out with the daughter of that mother. The mother who created the “Josh” account said
she did it to find out what Megan was saying about her daughter online. Another parent, who
learned of the account from her own daughter, told Megan’s parents about the hoax in a
counselor’s office about six weeks after Megan died. That’s when Megan’s parents learned that
Josh was imaginary and that members of a neighborhood family, including a friend of Megan,
created him. The parent who created the account, Lori Drew, admitted that she and her daughter
had created the false account. Drew told a reporter that the account was set up as a joke and
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initially claimed that she did not know about the mean messages that were sent to Megan. The
neighbor who told the Meiers about Drew being responsible for the hoax account said, "Lori
laughed about it," and that she had intended to "mess with Megan." Drew was not charged with a
crime, because at the time the case did not fit into any law (“R.I.P., Megan Meier”).
Ryan Patrick Halligan
Girls are not the only gender affected by cyber bullying. On October 7, 2003 Ryan
Patrick Halligan committed suicide. Ryan was not as academically strong as most of his
classmates and was the subject of bullying on and off throughout middle school. Ryan’s parents
put him in a kickboxing course so he could fight the bully if needed. The fight did occur and
after that things seemed to calm down. Then, to Ryan’s parents’ surprise, he told them that he
had become friends with the bully. It was not until after Ryan’s suicide that his father learned of
the extent of the bullying that happened to Ryan. After the death, Ryan’s father accessed his
son’s computer. It was through the computer that Ryan’s friends told his father about the
traditional and cyber bullying that took place during the months that led up to his suicide. The
boy that had bullied him, and briefly befriended Ryan after the fight, was the main culprit. Ryan
had told the bully something embarrassing and funny that happened, and the bully ran with the
new information relaying to others that Ryan must be gay. Another incident that led to the
suicide, was that during the summer, Ryan, through online communication, approached a pretty,
“popular” girl from his school and worked on establishing a relationship with her. When school
resumed Ryan approached the girl; she told him he was a loser and that she did not want
anything to do with him. She did this in front of her friends and posted their private IM
exchanges. She had a good laugh with her friends at Ryan’s expense (“Bullying Expert to Speak
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to 500 Teens”).
“Am I Ugly” Viral Videos
A growing trend on YouTube is the posting of videos called, “Am I Ugly,” by girls
between the ages of eleven and thirteen. These young girls, and a few boys, are asking strangers
to comment on their looks. In these videos young people ask viewers, “Am I ugly?” and say
things like, "I just wanted to make a random video seeing if I was like, ugly or not? Because a lot
of people call me ugly and I think I am ugly ... and fat." Some of these girls show pictures of
themselves and ask users to "tell me what you think” or "People say I’m ugly. So … tell me -am I?" The comments in these videos range from horrible, "my vote: UGLIER THAN A
DEMON" or "F*ck off whore wannabe" to supportive, "I think you look pretty (Am I Ugly?’
Videos: Young Teens Ask YouTube Users Whether They’re Pretty Or Not.)
Posting videos like this may be a recent phenomenon, however teenagers’ desire for
approval is not new. According to Dr. Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at the
University of Alabama-Birmingham, teens have always had a desire to be accepted: the digital
age allows them to take this desire to extremes. Klapow says that another normal trait in
teenagers is impulsivity. Put together the desire for acceptance with impulsivity and access to the
Internet, and it is a recipe for problems (“Teens Post ‘Am I Pretty or Ugly?’”).
Dr. Alan Kazdin, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and child psychiatry at Yale, says that
for this technology-inundated generation, the Internet provides an open forum for teens to
express their problems. Part of the appeal of the Internet is the thrill of getting an immediate
response, whether positive or negative. However, according to Kazdin, the negative comments
can have harmful effects. As long as teens are digitally connected, they become vulnerable.
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Kazdin said, "the question is not, why would [teenagers] take their problems to the web? The
question is, why wouldn't you take it to the web?" (“Teens Post ‘Am I Pretty or Ugly?’”).
Analysis:
The common denominator in the above case studies is the preteen and teenager use of
video sharing and social media sites. Dina Borzekowski, professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health, who specializes in children, media and health, says that in her
experience, children who are most at risk for cyber bullying are those with more exposure to
media messages, and less exposure to rational, clear messages from supportive adults and
community leaders. She believes that parents need to be more aware of the messages reaching
their children and adolescents. She says that they need to go online and look at what their child
has been posting and receiving. Studies show that the earlier parents start a conversation with
their children about the online space, the better. The children who use social media the most have
the most distorted beliefs about society (“Facebook: The Encyclopedia of Beauty?”).
In the first three case studies, Jessi Slaughter, Megan Myer and Ryan Patrick Halligan,
parents were involved with their children’s online activity. In the last case study, “Am I Ugly?”
children posted videos without their parents’ knowledge. In the first three studies, the parents’
attitudes toward online behavior need to be examined. In the first two studies, Jessi Slaughter
and Megan Myer, the parents participated in negative online behavior. In Ryan Patrick
Halligan’s case, his parents were trying to protect him from negative online activity.
In the Jessi Slaughter case, when a child is threatening to “put a Glock in your mouth,”
and the parent condones the behavior, there are serious problems in that household. The bullying
in the Jessi Slaughter videos was reciprocal. She posted inappropriate information, then was
bullied, then she fought back. This is a situation, which left alone, will continue to escalate out of
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control. In this example, it seems that the parents have no problem with what Jessi posts online.
Some parents need to be educated themselves about online behavior and safety. By allowing
their daughter to brag online about having sex at the age of eleven and then her father ranting on
the video, the entire family is subject to ridicule. In this case, YouTube acknowledges some
responsibility, in that by their own rules, no one under thirteen is allowed to post videos.
YouTube should step in and remove the video. Instead, remixes and mock videos were made of
Jessi and her father, some using the same phrases that her father yelled to the camera. When
there are no consequences for using viral media in a detrimental way, there is no reason for
young people to stop or to think about the long-term consequences. In the Megan Meier case
study, a parent used a social networking site to communicate with an underage child and then
ended up bullying her to the extent that she committed suicide. This is another example where
accountability needs to be examined. When a parent knowingly and purposely bullies a child
something must be done. If a bartender serves too many drinks to a patron, and then that patron
becomes engaged in an accident, the bartender is responsible. In this line of reasoning, if a
person bullies someone into suicide, that person should bear the responsibility. Another example
of why parents need to be held accountable, is that when parents put their children in harm’s
way, child services steps in. Just because there are no physical bruises or bleeding in cyber
bullying does not mean that the child being bullied is not in excruciating pain.
In the Ryan Patrick Halligan case study, Ryan’s parents were involved with him and were
aware of some bullying. However, they were not aware of the full extent of the cyber bullying
until Ryan’s computer was accessed after his suicide. Sahara Byrne, assistant professor of
communication at Cornell University, said that parents need to start talking to their children
about social media at age six or seven. She said that “anytime a child reports that their parent is
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hard to talk to about the Internet, that is correlated with all sorts of problems, including things the
kids should not be doing online" (“Facebook: The Encyclopedia of Beauty?”). Apparently Ryan
was not one hundred percent comfortable sharing the extent of the bullying with his parents. Had
his parents known, perhaps they could have intervened.
In the “Am I Ugly?” videos, these young people are opening themselves up for people to
make mean comments. These children are seeking outside confirmation that they are pretty when
pretty has nothing to do with their worth. These young people are harming themselves by asking
anonymous strangers for look-based critiques. These young teens are not mature enough to deal
with vicious remarks. Adolescence is difficult enough and by inviting negativity into their lives
they are compromising their self worth.
The age of these girls and their need for approval coincides with the age when their self
esteem peaks. One study at the NYU Child Study Center showed that fifty nine percent of girls
in fifth through twelfth grade were dissatisfied with their physical appearance (Am I Ugly?’
Videos: Young Teens Ask YouTube Users Whether They’re Pretty Or Not). This is an example
of when parents, or adults close to the child, need to know what these children are posting online
and address those issues. This is also another instance when YouTube should be removing the
videos. Some of these girls give their ages on the videos, telling viewers that they are under the
age of thirteen.
Cyber bullying has been detrimental enough that states are passing anti-cyber bullying
laws (“Cyberstalking and Cyberharassment Laws”). Once laws concerning cyber bullying are put
into place, appropriate action can be taken. Children who bully can be required to go to therapy
and /or anger management classes, and if the bullying goes too far, they can be sent to juvenile
detention. The same kinds of laws need to be in place when it is an adult who bullies a child.
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There also should be laws concerning the social networking and video-sharing sites who host the
bullying events, especially when an underage child is on the site. Perhaps with consequences in
place there will be less cyber bullying and fewer children committing suicide. When viral media
and/or social networking sites are being used to harm children, accountability is an issue that is
worth examining.
Research on Cyber Bullying Prevention
Although cyber bullying is a relatively new phenomenon, attention is being paid to its
effects; a documentary called Bully, which is about children bullying, was just released; websites
devoted to informing and researching bullying have been launched; academic papers are being
written; lawmakers are proposing cyber bullying laws; and research on the effects of bullying,
who is doing the bullying, and how to prevent it is being conducted.
Research and communication about cyber bulling is well worth exploring because as new
technology emerges the problem will continue to manifest itself. Some areas that can be explored
are; the effects of negative comments breeding negativity, as is seen with the “Am I Ugly?”
videos; how to better communicate what online behaviors are acceptable and their consequences,
especially among the youth; how to determine what social constraints should be used when it
comes to the Internet, social media sites and video-sharing sites; and who and how to hold the
perpetrator accountable. We need to examine the answers to these questions in order to begin to
understand the complexity of online influences on self-esteem.
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Cyber Bullying Statistics:
(“Cyberbullying Research
Center - Cyber Bullying Examples, Cases, Laws, Articles, Stories,
Presentations, Videos, Facts, Statistics.”)
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“Facebook: The Encyclopedia of Beauty? - CNN.com.” Web. 2 Apr. 2012.
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