Cyber-Bullying: A Brief Research Proposal Essay

1. This article was written based on a study of cyber bullying behaviors in a large group of middle and high school students. Increases in technology, and access to that technology have increased student ability to bully using an online forum. Not a lot of research had been done into this subject at the time of this article. Taking this into consideration there had been a few large scale studies done that corroborated the belief that cyber bullying is a significant problem. Researchers believed that due to the potential for exposure to this type of bullying, more studies needed to be done. With increased research there was the hope of diminishing the number of incidents of cyber bullying and the effects of those incidents. The research that had been completed also pointed to additional issues, including behavior problems, suspensions, substance abuse and depression among students who had experienced cyber bullying. The other side of previous research showed that the students who used cyber bullying as a weapon were more aggressive in their behaviors.

Firstly, in cyber bullying the level of anonymity is higher compared to traditional bullying. The current form of technology allows perpetrators of cyber bullying to impersonate other people and this reduces the fear of being castigated for the act. Broadhurst (420) indicates that most of the cyber bullies create fake email accounts and social sites and use them to post traumatizing information to their target population. This level of anonymity gives the bullies more courage to cause harm to the victims. Ngo and Raymond (780) reveal cases of ladies who are intimidated because of their stand in societal matters. Estranged men may decide to hide behind fake social accounts and post obscene pictures of

I. Thesis Statement: Social Networks are giving bullies an opportunity to attack individuals online by invading their privacy and creating psychological effects from attacks. These problems need to be addressed by controlling and preventing cyber bullying.

Did you know that girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying? Although the use of technology has created many opportunities to enhance teaching and learning, it also has led to some severe problems (Morgan, 2013). Online communication can become an addiction, but we have to be careful on what we post or send to other people. Cyberbullying affects people from kinder to college, or even higher. Before the internet, bullies dominated the schoolyard. Now, bullies of twenty-first century release their aggressions online, as cyberspace becomes the “high-tech playground for intimidation” (Albin, 2012). Teens, especially, are reluctant to tell adults—for fear of overreaction,

According to the study led by Dr. Sarah Pedersen , boys are the most likely out of the two genders to be involved in cyberbullying. Of the 226 children surveyed, 50% of those who had a social network account had been cyberbullied, 40% said they themselves had cyberbullied, “boys are more bullied online (68%) and are more likely to bully online (50%). Adolescent females revealed (49% and 33% respectively). Cyber bulying is therefore 50% likely to happen to someone with a social network account. As most

Social Networking has taken bullying to the extreme. Before advanced technology, children and teenagers were troubled by school bullies. Today, they are targeted by bullies via internet. Most people undergo some form of bullying in life. Growing up, I experienced the typical name calling and spiteful comments. I also dealt with minor cases of virtual bullies. These bullies are known as cyber bullies. I find this topic compelling because it’s a matter that has spiraled out of control.

Whilst cyber bullying is not physical it’s emotional and psychological effects are devastating for the victim and can often lead to suicide and depression (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010). Social Networking sites act as a platform where bullies can say things they might not usually say to someone in person, anonymity and less physical proximity act as a wall between the bully and the victim, none the less, the words or rumors’ that are shared are still just as hurtful. Bullies often feel more confident online and they can contact their victims anytime, anywhere, day or night, not just in the school yard (Smith et al., 2008).” (Procon. (24 O). Retrieved from http://socialnetworking.procon.org/)

The world has adopted the Internet as one of the most popular mediums for exchanging information, and criminologists need to be well versed in its complexities in order to make meaningful, relevant, and thought-provoking research. Cyber bullying piggy backs on the foundations of traditional bullying in principle, but provides instigators with a presumed veil of anonymity which modernizes the bullies’ process of bullying. Bullies naturally have less inhibition when they are bullying online because they can be safe at home without fear of repercussion. This is extremely troubling considering there is very little fear of reprisal in an online environment. There are no “internet police” actively monitoring conversations or information. The cold truth is that nothing will ever happen to a cyber bully unless the victim(s) report it and pursue it legally. The situation

Children’s and teen’s psychological health, social life, and especially their education are the main aspects of their lives which are effected. Cyberbullying can cause extreme emotional harm to its victims. Victims of in-person bullying “often experience depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, physiological issues, problems concentrating, failure in school, and absence from school” (Feinberg 10). Cyberbully victims suffer from much greater psychological harm than traditional bullying because the hurtful information can be sent out “instantaneously”; thus allowing a large number of people to view it at once (Feinberg 11). Since children and teens have such a strong need to be accepted by their peers, many would rather be harmed physically then be socially excluded

Conventional bullying can be limited by matters such as one's physical power and the distance between the respective individual and the victims that he is interested in persecuting. However, the digital age made matters easier by providing almost anyone in possession of a cell phone or a computer with the ability to put his or her terrorizing attitudes into practice. In order to understand what cyberbullying is, people need to have a proper understanding of traditional bullying. "Name-calling, shoving, tripping, kicking, spitting, knocking books out of a classmate's hands, making threats, fistfights, hang-up phone calls, threatening messages, bad-mouthing, spreading malicious gossip, and excluding people from peer groups as social

While cyberbullying affects each child differently, there has been a clear correlation between victims and non-victims and their self-esteem. In one study, bullied victims had less self-esteem than those who were not bullied online. Additionally, it was reported that victims of cyberbullying were thirty percent more likely to think about committing suicide (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2012). With the lack of parent supervision, it was found that those who spent more than three hours per school day on social networks were 110% more at risk to be a cyberbully victim as compared those who do not spend as much time online (Gilkerson, 2012). What may be worse is the fact that majority of those bullied online do not tell their parents or an adult about what occurred. Despite the fact that most adolescents state that bullying occurs more offline then online, cyberbullying is still a real and large threat to the youth of America (Lenhart, 2007).

For decades, physical bullying has been a consistent problem for young people attending school. Yet the growth of the Internet has redefined how students pick on one another. Cyber-bullying has become one of the most difficult issues to resolve in our society. Cyber-bullying can come in many forms. Cyber harassment, for example, refers to repeated hurtful emails, text messages or instant messages. Another form of cyberbullying is impersonation, in which cyber-bullies pretend to be their victims online in order to sully their victims ' reputations. Cyber denigration occurs when a cyber-bully spreads derogatory or untrue information about someone online, or digitally posts an embarrassing or altered photo or video of that person. (Prosecuting Cyberbullies) The bully can remain anonymous while behind a computer screen because many social media websites allow people to make up fake user ids and many bullies tend to give false information while registering for these sites. About 20% of more than 4,400 11–18-year-olds surveyed by the Cyberbullying Research Center in 2010 reported having been cyberbullied at some point in their lives. About 20% also admitted to having cyberbullied someone else. The survey found that cyber-bullying is a growing problem because of the increasing frequency with which students use the Internet and cell phones to do homework and socialize. (Prosecuting Cyberbullies) The person being bullied will feel alone, powerless, different,

For such a long time, physical bullying has been the largest problem schools and parents had to face with their children, but now another form of bullying has arisen; cyber bullying. In society today, teens are drawn cell phones, laptops, and other technological advancements. Social media is a way for many teens and adolescents to interact with one another and share countless happenings of their personal lives. Cyber bullying occurs when individuals use the internet to send or comment cruel and unnecessary messages to another. In its various forms cyber bullying includes, indirect and direct harassment, posting inappropriate pictures, impersonating another being, or just being plain cruel. Although anyone can become a victim of cyber bullying, improper use of the internet can further induce harassment, due to the adolescents desire to use modern day technologies. The harassers could be classmates, online “friends’’, or anonymous users. One barrier that is difficult to overcome is determining who is responsible for the attacks online, because many bullies hide behind fake usernames or profiles to protect their real identity, which is commonly known as “hiding behind a screen”. (Bonanno 2013). The motives for a cyber-bully are never clear, some might say

Cyber bullying did not exist until a decade ago, yet the problem has become a pervasive one today. Cyber bullies do not necessarily have to be strong as is sometimes found in traditional bullying, all they need is a Smartphone or computer to terrorize. More than 97% of youths are connected to the Internet in some way. The number of youths who use the Internet at home is rapidly growing; over 66% of youths are able to go online from the comfort of their bedrooms. Cyber bullies do not have to fear that there would be a face-to-face encounter with their victims. The anonymity of cyber bullying may attract youths who are not capable of traditional bullying to become cyber bullies (Poland, 2010).

With the growing numbers of children plugging into technology and surfing the World Wide Web on the waves of cyberspace comes the emergent problem of cyberbullying. No longer are children confined to the playground and hallways to spread their dissent. A study conducted by Dosomething.org showed that forty-three percent of children confided that they had been bullied online. With over eighty percent of teens using a cell phone with internet access and ninety percent signing into social media accounts, the opportunity to bully behind the screen is without a doubt a problem of epic proportions (Dosomething.org). These