Giordano 1
Antonino Giordano
Ms. Alaei
English 100
7 December 2012
Ours to Fix
The digital age has brought society a different way to socialize and connect with each
other. We are now able to communicate with people around the world very easily and able to
distribute information in seconds. With such a progressive tool comes problems. People are able
to use social media to distribute information that can bully people. Cyber-bullying has brought
bullying to a larger audience. It affects people physically and emotionally. We live in a society
where people criticize each other more than ever. Many kids cause and are affected by cyberbullying. Parents need to understand what cyber-bullying is, the differences it has from
traditional bullying, and take initiative in their household because their own child can be a cyberbully or the victim of one without them even knowing. The impact cyber-bullying can have on
someone can be drastic and parents should take necessary precautions to avoid it because in
many cases, parents are not aware of cyber bullying do to the fact that it is recent, something
they never had to deal with growing up, and that their child's living situation can affect how they
treat others. A catalyst of cyber-bullying is that it is anonymous and there is no personal
interaction. Cyber-bullying physically and emotionally affects people because it can spread
throughout the world and follows children home, a place of safety. Even though there are
measures such as privacy restrictions and simply avoiding social media that can avoid some
cyber-bullying it doesn't deteriorate from the fact that the bullying can be made to where it is
uncontrollable.
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Cyber-bullying is a new form of bullying that is very difficult to handle. Because it is
new, professionals do not have an exact idea on how to stop it. People cyber-bully for many
reasons. Weather they are angry, have family issues, or are trying to be popular at school, cyber
bullying comes in many forms and has many complications that come with it. Bandwagon effect
comes to play when discussing why people cyber-bully. The majority does it so others want to as
well. "Placing someone’s picture on the Internet without permission, hacking, anonymous
threatening mails... threats involving deadly violence or setting the victim’s house on fire, as well
as sexually oriented messages" (Dehue) are some of the forms of cyber-bullying that people have
to deal with. The bullying stereotype is the bulky angry boy picking on the small scrawny boy.
Today, with cyber-bullying, the little scrawny boy can be the bully as well as anyone else.
Cyber-bullying is not like traditional bullying. "Putting something on the Internet is a whole lot
different than whispering it on the playground" (Billitteri 393). When something is posted on the
internet, it stays there forever unlike something that is verbally passed at school. That internet
post can travel to the next state, to the next country in seconds. "The long-term impact of cyber
bullying is greater than with traditional bullying. Digital images, cell phones, and other
electronic means can greatly increase the speed in which the bully's messages can spread"
(Meech).
"Perhaps the greatest long-term impact is the loss of the home as a place of safety.
Traditional bullying usually ended at school. Students were able to go home after, safe with their
family. Cyber bullying enters into the home and is with the students at all times (Strom & Strom,
2005)". Because of cyber-bullying, the victims do not feel safe anywhere. What was there safe-
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zone became an open place for cyber-bullying. "For the victims, it hampers the interpretation of
the message and the encroachment on their formerly safe private environment makes the
message especially harsh" (Dehue). Because it is anonymous, the message can be taken even
more hurtful than it was intended to do and the fact that it has been received at home, a place of
safety, makes it much worse. At this point, the victims don't feel safe talking about their bullying
problems with anyone, even their parents. This is a serious problem. If people who are bullied
seek help it will help them deal with it. There are different reasons why victims keep it a secret.
The most critical reason why it's kept a secret is because many parents are not knowledgeable
about cyber-bullying. "Experts say parents are often clueless about their children's online activity
and that adolescents tormented by cyberbullies often hide their victimization from parents for
fear of losing their computer and cell phone privileges" (Billitteri 393). Billitteri depicts how a
lack of communication and understanding can easily hide cyber-bullying and how important it is
for parents to find out if their children are involved in cyber-bullying. "Victims' silence and
parents' obliviousness- help cyber-bullying to grow" (Billitteri 393). What if parents learned
about cyber-bullying and were able to react if their children were involved before it's too late?
It's not that the parents don't want to involve themselves with social media. "[It] has to do with
the fact that most parents are not familiar with modern communication media, and are
therefore probably not aware of their child engaging in cyberbullying or being cyberbullied"
(Dehue). Parents don't know what cyber-bullying has the opportunity of doing so they aren't
informed on how to prevent it. Parents have the responsibility lying on their shoulders whether
their child is the bully or the victim. That is why it's extremely important for parents to supervise
the cyber space of their children. "Under parent-liability statues,... parents may be held liable for
the harm caused by their children" (Billitteri 392) even if they are unaware that their child has
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been involved. Parents are unaware that their everyday decisions can affect whether their child
will cyber-bully someone. The actions that parents take at home affect the type of manners their
children give towards others. A study shows that "teens [who are more involved in
cyberbullying] may have fewer protective factors, such as family cohesion and parental
supervision, and more risk factors, such as drug and alcohol use and family conflict, that could
put them at increased risk for bullying behaviors" (Low). Many people may argue that children
can learn manners from their friends or from people on TV. If that was the case, parents would
be at fault for not paying attention to the people and things their children are involved in. If the
children are taught right from before, it makes it much harder for them to disobey.
"Another important difference is the lack of physical and social cues, which implicates
that cyberbullies are not personally confronted with the way their victims react and with the
consequences of the harassments" (Dehue). Anonymity could be the reason why cyber-bullying
reaches the high levels of harassment that it does. Harassment such as stereotypical name calling,
racist slurring, tormenting, and threatening. The fact that it is anonymous makes the words
especially harsh. It's much more likely for someone to threat another being anonymous and threw
text than it is in person. It does happen both ways but it is much more likely threw anonymity.
"Kids become emboldened by the false feeling of being anonymous and they say things they
might not have said in person (Beckerman & Nocero, 2003)" (Meech). Many people text things
that they wouldn't say directly to a person. The feeling of anonymity gives the cyber-bully a
sense of protection and may change how the message is meant to read. Being anonymous
through cyber space doesn't let the victim react to the bully. "Researchers say adolescents often
don't grasp that a vulnerable human being is on the receiving end of hateful words and images"
(Billitteri 396). Many think they are anonymous to the point that nobody knows it is them.
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Cyber-bullies may be anonymous to where they aren't confronted with the victim but they also
tend to think "their messages can't be traced back to them- often a faulty assumption.' They may
think they have achieved anonymity,' says Willard of the Center for Safe and Responsible
Internet Use" (Billitteri 396-397). Because of this, such messages, pictures, and internet posts
that have intended to bully someone may be even more harsh. Some young cyber-bullies are not
aware of the implications of their hate words. The main reason may not be because they despise
or hate another kid rather that it's fitting to do so because everyone else is doing it.
My thesis on cyber-bullying can be related to Copper Cab's video. His video reached
world-wide cyber-bullying. The effect of his video is ironic because he made it in response to the
bullying he was receiving at school. People found humor in the video, ignored the seriousness of
his message and bullied him for responding to being bullied. What we don't know is if he was
being humorous on purpose to draw attention. If he did, I don't think it was the best idea because
it brought and extreme degree of cyber-bullying to himself. This video is a perfect example of
the difference between traditional bullying and cyber-bullying and it also shows how important it
is for parents to be knowledgeable about each type of bullying and the effects that both can have.
As we continue to live, life will continue to get more complicated. As life gets more
complicated it will develop and adapt. In the digital age, technology has developed at an
extraordinary rate. People are now capable of sending information anywhere in the world in
seconds. We can communicate with people much easier and efficiently. With a new and
developed way of communication comes new problems. Cyber-bullying has become a new
problem that today's children have been faced with, today's parents to learn about, and ours to
fix. Due to leading factors such as anonymity and family behavior, cyber-bullying is even more
brutal than traditional bullying and because information can be stored on the internet forever, it
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makes cyber-bullying something very difficult to maintain and a serious problem in today's
society. Cyber-bullying can lead to many psychological problems if not stopped. Simply talking
about such problems and being knowledgeable about the issue can make all the difference in
dealing with it. It is both the responsibility of the victim, their parents, the bully, and their
parents. Cyber-bullying can create devastating outcomes. Cyber-bullying will continue to grow
and certain implications must take place in order for it to be maintained and over passed.
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Work Cited
Beckerman, L., & Nocero, J. (2003, February). High-tech student hate mail. Education Digest,
68(6), 37.
Billitteri, Thomas J. Cyberbullying. CQ Researcher. May 2, 2008. November 21, 2012
Cab, Cooper. GINGERS DO HAVE SOULS. Youtube. Jan 14, 2010. November 21, 2012.
Dehue, Francine. Cyberbullying: Youngsters' experiences and parental perception.
Low, S., Espelage, D. What Causes Teens to Become Cyber Bullies?. GoodTherapy.org.
Meech, Scott. Cyber Bullying: Worse Than Traditional Bullying. Tech&Learning. May 1, 2007.
November 21, 2012.
Peagram, Kortney. How to Protect Your Child From Cyberbullying. Chicago Now. November
19, 2012. November 21, 2012.
Strom, P., & Strom, R. (2005, December). When teens turn cyberbullies. Education Digest,
71(4), 35-41.