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Jason Burroughs
Nancy Henke
CO150 Section 003
18 July 2011
Stakeholder Analysis Essay
As society continues to grow and evolve, so does the technology that accompanies it.
With that has arisen the issue of cyberbullying amidst the schools. Evolving from a more
physical type of abuse known as bullying, cyberbullying uses a more aggressive approach to
cause emotional damage to others (Greenya). Cyberbullying, as defined by Cameron Abel in his
article, is “the use of the internet, mobile or cell phones, email or other electronic media to post
about, or directly attack another person.” This technological phenomenon “occurs among peers
jockeying for status” and generally includes “popular students with plenty of self-esteem who are
trying to strengthen their place in the social hierarchy” of school (Billitteri). Thus, this issue
mainly takes place within the schools bringing four major stakeholder groups into the issue of
analyzing cyberbullying among various groups of students including the parents, the
institution/faculty/staff, the victims, and the cyberbullies themselves.
Due to the increase in popularity of use of social media network sites such as Facebook,
MySpace, and Twitter, students have found a way to voice an opinion while hiding behind a
virtual wall, known as the internet (Greenya). With a new power of freedom of speech, comes
the irresponsibility of children who abuse it, thus leading to incidents of cyberbullying. As
students decide to cyberbully one another, it is clear that a major stakeholder group emerges
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from the situation; the victims. In the traditional way of bullying, John Greenya writes in his
scholarly article, entitled “Bullying,” published in 2005, “that much bullying revolves around
taunts about other youths' sexuality,” and this idea has only been reinforced by the use of the
internet. Specifically, “Gay, lesbian and bisexual youths (GLB) are” primarily targeted, thus
showing how this is a certain clique of students that are affected by bullying (Greenya). Another
group that is majorly affected by cyberbullying include “deaf and hard of hearing” (HOH)
students (Bauman and Pero 1). In a study performed by Sheri Bauman and Heather Pero, it was
concluded “that among Deaf /HOH students, bullying is at least as common as among hearing
students and that Deaf/HOH students are bullied by both hearing students and other Deaf
students” (1). The authors continue their study by acknowledging that “technological advances”
are a major part of deaf/HOH children’s lives, thus, showing how many of the students rely on
the use of the internet and consequently are victimized online (4). The victim stakeholder group
all value similar ideas, (whether via the internet or in person), such as privacy, freedom, and
friendship and thus at least one of these is affected when cyberbullying comes into play. Along
with that, the victims stand to lose self-esteem, lose focus in school, and even have been known
to lose lives due to the issue. This sense of losing oneself can be prevented merely by ending
cyberbullying; however that is easier said than done.
A second stakeholder group that emerges from this situation is the cyberbullies
themselves. “Some cyberbullies are angry loners or misfits, sometimes seeking revenge for
having been bullied themselves,” writes Billitteri, while others can be “the in-crowd kids
bullying those who don't rank high enough,” claims Nancy Willard within Billitteri’s article. As
a result, this stakeholder group has many differences compared to the victims group; however
there are certain similarities when comparing their values. In general, the bullies seem to value
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social statuses within the schools; the higher the claimed status, the more they can “[intimidate]
those they perceive to have less status” (Billitteri). As a result, being popular is another desire
for cyberbullies, as well. Strangely enough, the stakeholder group of cyberbullies also value
similar values as the victims, including privacy, freedom, and friendship. This is so, because
being able to use the internet and consequently cyberbully others requires internet freedom to
express oneself and requires privacy so a wall is placed in front of the cyberbully, sometimes
making them undetectable. Accordingly, this stakeholder group thus stands to gain popularity or
a simple laugh from their peers when making fun of others, yet if the cyberbullying gets too far
out of hand, the bully could stand to lose a peer in general, or lose their own freedom by
becoming imprisoned. When and if this happens, usually the schools are dragged into the
situation as well, since cyberbullying mainly takes place around those who are still in school. As
a result, the schooling institutions, faculty, and staff compose a third stakeholder group in this
issue.
Many, but not all, incidences of cyberbullying occur when students are off school
grounds. This makes it harder for school systems to step in and thus punish their students.
“Some argue, though, that the ability of cyber communication to quickly spread far and wide
demands that school officials step in even when the bullying is generated off school grounds,”
writes Thomas J. Billitteri. This being the case, the school institutions can at least implement
rules regarding internet use so as to prevent cyberbullying within the schools. Such rules or
guidelines can include “the use of equipment, software and network access provided by the
school,” or “the use of staff and pupil owned equipment and internet access routes” (Childnet
International 3). No doubt, schools thrive for a safe learning environment for their students and
helping to prevent cyberbullying through these methods recognizes this group as a stakeholder
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group. By failing to recognize cyberbullying, schools therefore lose some of their reputation,
which they value, along with support from the community. Furthermore, although schools still
value free speech, exhibiting that right within the schools by cyberbullying is unaccepted by the
institution. Interestingly, there have been records of cyberbullying that targets the faculty and
staff of schools, placing them as the victims. “15% of teachers responding to a 2009 survey
carried out by Teacher Support Network and The Association of Teachers and Lecturers reported
they had been victims of cyberbullying,” (Childnet International 2). This example shows that
cyberbullying can target more than just students, and instead of taking it out on themselves, the
victims (in this case faculty/staff) respond by communicating with a fourth stakeholder group;
the parents.
The parents of both the victims and cyberbullies create another stakeholder group. That
is why it is important for parents to “stay involved” with their children’s activities online
(Willard 7). Parents play an important role in the issue of cyberbullying; sometimes they are the
only authority that can communicate with their child whether one is being cyberbullied or
cyberbullying others. As a result, it is clear that when not dealing with the situation itself,
parents values their children in general, along with the peace of mind that they are not being
verbally abused while at school. Furthermore, parents value the knowledge that their child is
responsible and thus will not decide to become a cyberbully themselves after having talked to
them regarding the issue (Willard 8-9). Cyberbullying can be just as hard on parents as it is on
their children, because some cases have resulted in the death of teens, showing what is at stake
for loving, caring parents. All in all, children need to realize that they do not have to face
cyberbullying alone, as their parents are there to help.
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In entering the technological era, it is obvious that technology (mainly the internet and
social media) will continue to advance. As it does, more and more people will experience
cyberbullying every day. Taking place mainly in the schools, four major stakeholder groups
arise from this issue, including parents, the school institution/faculty/staff, the victims of
cyberbullying and the cyberbullies themselves. Each group contains different values regarding
the issue of analyzing the effects of cyberbullying among different groups of victims ranging
from education to social statuses within the schools. As a result, cyberbullying will continue to
grow as the world grows older, but new questions start to arise, such as “are new laws needed to
curb cyberbullying?” or “do cyberbully laws violate constitutional rights?” (Billitteri). As this is
a relatively new issue, it is unclear what the future holds.