Gerico Demesillo

Expos 2
Period: 5
3/12/15

Bullying: Online Threat

With the ever evolution of our technology, any task has been made simple thanks
to the gadgets of today. Ever since the evolution of generally everything world wide
thanks to machines, people tend to be dependent on these machines, and thus, we
evolve and revolve according to the very technology we build. In the adolescent mind,
living up to the social norms is a tendency, As I am an adolescent myself, anything goes
as long as youre accepted by others, and have a clear definite presence to the world
whether it be negative or positive. Of course on one of these norms is the Bully. a Bully
is defined as a person who inflicts harm to another. Due to the evolution of technology,
Bullying can also be done online, while most teens escape to the online world to be safe
from bullies, it is proven ineffective as a new form of bullying gets created thanks to our
ever changing tech.:Cyber Bullying.

Cyber bullying is defined as when an individual inflicts mental/emotional harm to

someone online via social media. Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place
using electronic technology. It has been a growing case throughout cyber
world. Out of all the individuals that have been cyber bullied a majority
would all react the same way, and its to a simple fact that were too
infatuated with our technology. When a certain individual gets bullied some
would either fight back and argue online, and it may cause in a physical fight
later on,Others would keep to themselves about it and absorb the
harassment. What is the correct way to cope with a mentally breaking
situation? and why do people cyber bully in the first place? Addressing this
situation now will generate a possibility to shortening the cases and creating
a safe internet for future generation of internet users.

The intentions of a Bully is to inflict pain into their victims, the only
psychological explanation is environmental or genetic factors, if the bully has
had a family line full of abusive relatives then genetic factors take place, if
the bully actually has a higher power inflicting the pain on him, then defense
mechanism requires the bully to take his frustration and displace it on a
weaker subject. A cyber bully would be similar but the fine line of
differneciality s that the cyber bully is harassing the victim online and not
causing actual physical harm to the victim but rather mental harm to him.
Furthermore, mental harm can be as bad as physical harm too, as it brings
the victim into a state of anxiety and fear, it may also create a rise in stress

levels opening new disorders to the victims such as eating disorders and
mental disorders such as depression, or self harm.

The method of bullying (physical,online,etc) are all different but that

are all the same definition. Bullying is unwanted aggressive behavior among
school aged children that involves real or perceived power
imbalance.(stopbullying.gov). Cyber bullying however is at the convenience
of the bully since they are able to harass 24 hours a day 7 days a week, at
anytime. this calls for a repetitive non stop harassment to the victim, not just
in school but out of school, and since our world is plugged in to the vast
social media, it is hard to get away from this social norm, everything in this
age revolves around cellphones, tablets, computers, and Tvs that escaping it
is virtually impossible. To make short, youll be anchored to the cyber
bullying since there is no escape. I also have to address the vast population
that uses technology, when an individual gets bullied, it attracts an audience
more great than an audience during a school fight. The internet connects the
entire world together, the whole world is the audience.

Cyber bullying is a huge concern especially in the age of where

technology prospers. The victim of cyber bullying are more likely to:
-Use alcohol or drugs
-Skip School

-Experience In-person bullying

-Be unwilling to attend school
-Receive poor grades
-Have lower self-esteem
-Have more health problems

In fact the 2013 youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey finds that 15% of
high school students were cyber bullied(stopbullying.gov) It is arguable
that the percents are low, however there is consideration as to how many
students were surveyed such as a school? a state? or a country? it hasnt
been clearly stated of the range of students they surveyed. I maintain that
Cyber bullying is still a problem in the community, through my own accounts
on social media and games, harassment has been seen and heard almost
everyday from me, they arent targeted at me but another person, in
interactive gaming the only option is to hear the dispute, and everyone
doesnt do anything but listen since we all cower in fear of these kinds of
people. On social media people judge others, by their looks and choices, the
comments are to be in a very negative manner. On the other note, people
believe to be joking or its all just for a laugh or good fun, the truth is that
they may convince themselves that its for fun, but they cant see their victim
through a screen in a video game or social chat room since everything is
text-based. We dont know if the victim is laughing at their crude joke or is
really hurting, the 15% of reported cyber bully cases are the victims that are

hurt, others dont know their victims and take the bullys harassment as a
joke, this leads to a defense mechanism in which the victim will either do
something unconsciously to cope with what theyre feeling or displace their
frustrations on a weaker subject.

A plan of action has been taken place for the past couple of years, its
been used effectively today and needs to be reenforced. As mentioned
before we are plugged into technology, recent strategies mentioned is to
stay away from technology and report the problem to the security of the site.
However other methods that Ive personally have seen is the creation of new
accounts. The only flaw in that problem is that the bully can find them
anonymously and bully them some more, however thanks to the upgrades of
social sites, the user is able to accept, block, or decline people they do not
know. with this new upgrade to sites it has become easier for users to stay
harassment free form online. With the new advances and updates to security
in sites, the traditional way of staying away from technology hasnt been
used, however in some events the traditional way is the best way, users
should begin to realize that there is a world out there that we can see with
our own eyes and not just through a screen, I have encountered people my
age, the age that is immersed in technology, logging on at fewer times
because they are out there in the world. However there is room for trouble
anywhere, such as actual physical bullying, I maintain that as long as the
safety online is maintained, users like myself can find safety online.

To sum up, the sources presented defined cyber bullying and its effects
on the victim, they address what the victim goes through and how it affects
students worldwide, with our dependance on technology being harassed
online is a big deal since a larger group of people are able to view the
dispute. The sources also recommend the traditional ways to prevent cyber
bullying which is a helpful tip, however I believe they should reenforce or
update the strategy to avoid cyber bullying since social media is being
updated and have stronger and versatile security people like me can be safe
online without going away from the beloved technology,

Work cited:

Bullying Definition. StopBullying.gov. U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.
Why Do People Cyberbully? Delete Cyberbullying A Stop
Online Harassment Project. Delete Cyberbullying, n.d. Web.
10 Sept. 2014.
What Is Cyber-bullying? What Is Cyber-bullying? Kean.edu,
n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.
What Is Cyber-bullying? What Is Cyber-bullying? Kean.edu,
n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.
Bullying and Cyberbullying Prevention Strategies and
Resources. ADL. Anti-Defamation League, 2014. Web. 10

Sept. 2014.