CYBER BULLYING 2
Cyber Bullying
Cyber bullying basically refers to the utilization of technology or electronic mediums by
groups of people or an individual to consistently and advertently upset and humiliate someone
else. The practice may have adverse consequences on the victim and in most cases it impacts
negatively on the victim’s self-esteem, self-confidence, as well as metal health. In worst case
scenarios, cyber bullying may lead to self-harm, in addition to suicide on the part of the victim. It
is worth noting that cyber bullying assumes multiple forms which include threats, intimidation,
impersonation, harassment, stalking, vilification, defamation, peer rejection, as well as ostracism.
In some instances, cyber bullying is a continuation of physical bullying, with electronic media
providing an appropriate avenue to extend the physical bullying or retaliate for the same. There
are multiple reasons why individuals find it fit to cyberbully others. Some of reasons include,
family, personal or social issues, boredom, early childhood experiences, dislike for someone
else, provocation, retaliation, lack of empathy, poor self-esteem, as well as a craving for
attention. Today, cyberbullying is at an all-time high with most of the victims being adolescent
girls. In addition, the criminal prosecution of perpetrators is often difficult since most of them
cyberbully anonymously and conceal their locations.
In the past, I have witnessed someone being bullied over the internet. The victim in this
case was an adolescent girl who was being trolled on Facebook after someone else had shared
nude photos of her without her consent. The individual who had uploaded the images retained an
anonymous identity and as a result, it was difficult to identify him/her. In addition, most of the
individuals were making mean comments about the images while a few of them tried to console
the disenchanted victim. When I first came across the online bullying, I pleaded with the
anonymous individual who had uploaded to the photos to pull down the post as soon as possible.