We have been dealing with a pandemic for the last two years. That helped us better understand how viruses spread and adapt to their current situation to survive. Well, that may prove useful to support our understanding of how bullying has evolved, adapting to the rise of social media and the online era. More than fifty years ago, being the victim of bullying meant someone took your lunch money or shoved you around in the schoolyard. Now bullying takes so many more forms. The most alarming thing is the more accustomed we become to sharing our entire lives online, the more this online behavior thrives.
Cyberbullying is defined as using technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. Online bullying can take many forms. Leaving mean comments, name-calling, sharing defamatory memes, and posting private or personal information online are just a few. Luckily, most social media sites and internet providers have taken action against these behaviors. You can report the bullying and block the perpetrator. Certain types of cyberbullying like threats of violence, child pornography, sending sexually explicit messages or photos, stalking, and hate crimes fall under law enforcement authority. These incidents can and should be reported to the police.
Some recent studies asserted that cyberbullying is the latest trendy line of research, that blew out of proportion the actual incidence of the phenomenon. Cyberbullying is not as prevalent and does not have consequences as damaging as previously thought.
I beg to differ. As much as I love and trust research, here is a clear situation where the statistical analysis of a phenomenon doesn’t account for the psychological suffering of the kid having his life and reputation torn apart.
Here are six reasons why online bullying is damaging for the emotional well-being of anyone going through it. The fact that online bullying is not as frequent as previously believed, doesn’t take away from the gravity of the situation.
- It is continuous. Easy access to social media platforms through smartphones, iPads, and laptops means that bullying is no longer contained in the school environment; it permeates the home environment and becomes a constant presence. Yes, children can choose to leave social media, not post as much information or report the harassment, but that does not mean the bullying will stop. Slander, gossiping, threats, sharing private information about someone do not necessarily happen on the victim’s social media.
- It snowballs. Once you post something on social media you lose control over what will happen with that information. That is also true about online bullying. All the likes, comments, and shares can easily get out of hand. One offensive post can reach in a short time a large number of people. This situation amplifies the victim’s lack of power. The victim cannot control what is said or shared online.
- People are meaner on the internet. Behind the protection of anonymity or separated from the victim by a screen, people will say and do things that they would never do in real life. There is a lack of accountability on the internet. Part of it is fueled by the sense of anonymity that the internet provides. Another piece comes from the fact that people are meaner when they cannot see the suffering their actions inflict upon others. This fact was made apparent by Milgram’s studies on conformity. He wanted to know how regular people could commit such cruelties obeying Nazi’s orders in The Second World War. People who engage in cyberbullying are likely to be also perpetrators of in-person bullying. Bullies have high self-esteem, are less empathic and agreeable, and value aggression. Coupled with the anonymity of the internet, and there you have an explosive recipe for atrocious online behavior.
- Once on the internet, always on the internet. We are well acquainted with this phrase. It relies on the fact that you can never be sure that something is scrubbed off the internet. People are not supposed to have an extensive record of their existence. We are experimenting with new things, going through different phases, and trying out different identities. It is especially true for teens trying to figure out who they are and what they like. Once a season passed we are supposed to forget about it (who remembers the emo times?). Hurtful things resurfacing can be as traumatizing as the day they were posted the first time.
- Cyberbullying amplifies the feeling of being powerless. Any form of bullying causes the victim to feel stripped of personal power, hopelessness, and despair. Cyberbullying adds a whole other level because you don’t know what will happen with the information posted. Also, it can reach many persons in a shorter time, and the fallout is so much more public. Often the victim thinks everyone is talking about them, even if that isn’t the case.
- It hits a week spot. Being bullied in general affects two of the cornerstones of every teen: social image and being part of a group. Online harassment has been associated with social anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, withdrawal from social media, poor school performance, and other harmful outcomes.
Now it’s your turn.
If you made it to the end, thank you so much for reading my article. I hope you found it helpful.
I would love to read your opinion on the subject. Do you agree with the researcher’s conclusion that cyberbullying is not as prevalent and the effects aren’t so serious as previously thought to be? Have you ever been the victim of cyberbullying? If so, how did you dealt with it?
Reference articles
Kowalski, R. M., Limber, S. P., & McCord, A. (2019). A developmental approach to cyberbullying: Prevalence and protective factors. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 45, 20–32.
Olweus, D. (2012). Cyberbullying: An overrated phenomenon?. European journal of developmental psychology, 9(5), 520–538.
Olweus, D., & Limber, S. P. (2018). Some problems with cyberbullying research. Current opinion in psychology, 19, 139–143.
Zych, I., Farrington, D. P., & Ttofi, M. M. (2019). Protective factors against bullying and cyberbullying: A systematic review of meta-analyses. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 45, 4–19.
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This post was previously published on A Parent Is Born.
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