Why Cyberbullying More Dangerous Than Traditional Bullying Research Papers Example

1.0 Introduction
The advent of technology has led to a devastating relationship between bullying and technology. Cyberbullying (CB) occurs when an individual disguises his/her identity with the aim of harassing another person using the Internet. A valid email is required for one to participate in the online groups thus it is easy to establish fake online accounts and bully others anonymously. According to Lapidot-Lefle and Michal, the cyberspace makes a large part of the adolescents' social world, and this has increased their chances of being bullied through the cyber (1). The adolescents' social environment is marred with bullying, and it has led to harmful effects on their social and psychological well-being. Since the anonymous actions and comments are not linked to the online bullies, they can bully others without any repercussions. In the same way, the cyberbullies target the victims who stay far away from them because they victims cannot hold them accountable for their actions. Cyberbullying may also take place when the bullies post "blind items" on the social networking sites. The blind items refer to the posts or messages that do not offer the names of individuals but have enough information for the readers to determine the intended target of the post. This research paper discusses why cyberbullying is dangerous than traditional bullying.
2.0 Social Implications of Cyber Bullying
The cyber bullies can fake their identities by hiding behind computer screens, and this is something that is not possible under traditional bullying. Nowadays, the victims of cyberbullying may not know their attackers. Barlett notes that anonymity is rampant in the contemporary world because the aggressors cannot be identified using names, the bullies do not have any relationships with their victims, and the bully does not inflict marks and physical scars on the victim. Accordingly, the frequency of cyberbullying has been enhanced by online anonymity (70).
Furthermore, instances of gang attacks may occur when many bullies use the same technology to attack the victim. In other words, the internet has given bullies a new platform for their actions. Notably, cyber bullying has fostered as an aspect of censorship and fear for technological devices such as iPods and cell phones and the internet. Teachers and parents revisit the dangers of using technology, and they monitor the children continuously to ensure that they are not affected by cyber bullying. The world in which the cyber bullies operate is unseen by most caregivers, and they perpetrate their actions with impunity because they are confident that they cannot face legal actions. According to Krause, “the various social media programs allow for contributions from others to such a degree that the victim may be overwhelmed by the responses they receive or may fear the reaction of their peer group to a posted comment or video clip" ( 24).
3.0 Physiological implications of cyber bullying
It is noteworthy that traditional bullying leads to emotional, physical and social impacts which last during specific years of the teen's or child's school life. As such, the effects of traditional bullying can be eliminated easily by changing the location or residence of the family. On the other hand, cyberbullying causes long-term and permanent effects and as such it leads to traumatic effects on the affected individuals such as stress, anxiety, depression and other disorders that are related to emotions (Smokowski, Caroline and Katie 1040). In addition to that, some cases of cyber bullying lead young adults and youths to commit suicide. Smokowski, Caroline and Katie note that “Victims of cyberbullying are at an increased risk of using alcohol and drugs, skipping school, receiving poor grades, experiencing in-person bullying, and suffering from health problems” (1031). In addition to that, Cyberbullying victims report a number of social difficulties and high anxiety and depression levels than the individuals that have been subjected to traditional bullying. The impacts of cyberbullying are worse than those of traditional bullying as such; the all-night/all-day potential of cyberbullying has led to negative student outcomes and high distress (Barlett 70).
4.0 New Environments of Bullying
Cyberbullying is not limited to street corners and playgrounds anymore, and it does not know a set medium, hours and a location hence it makes it difficult for the victims because it leaves them helpless since there is no escape (Smokowski, Caroline and Katie 1030). Cyberbullying is more dangerous than the traditional face to face bullying because images and messages can be sent throughout the day, all week and all year round. Markedly, the messages and images are shared by went audience, and they are sent anonymously. Cyber bullying is rampant, and it is bad amongst the adolescents. Bullying occurs when an individual does not know how to handle their emotions in a healthy way. The victims of cyberbullying feel powerless, scared, insecure and uncomfortable. They also are fearful of their abilities, and they may expose of exploit other people's weaknesses to avoid handling their weaknesses (Krause 25).
It is noteworthy that the greatest long-term impact of cyber bullying is the loss of the home which has been a safe zone for kids. Traditional bullying did not extend to the home zone thus the children felt safe with their families. Conversely, cyber bullying extends to the home environment and thus it is with the children at all times. As such, with the rampant cyberbullying, the vulnerable children lack a refuge from bullying and harassment (Nixon 143). Cyber bullying is a non-stop category of harassment; hence, it creates a feeling of helplessness among the children and the adolescents. The bullies use cyber bullies to traumatize the victims for a long period. Nixon explains that “Cyber victimization is related to disruptions in adolescents’ relationships. Specifically, targets of cyber bullying reported more loneliness from their parents and peers, along with increased feelings of isolation and helplessness (143).
Markedly, the adolescents are vulnerable to cyberbullying because they are in the transitional stage of their lives; hence, they are affected easily by pressure and criticism. They adolescents struggle to identify themselves amidst physical changes and new emotions thus they are exposed to various experiences in the adult online communities (Krause 26). Cyber bullying has become well established because it terrorizes, intimidates and ridicules others through physical and verbal acts and its effects are deleterious. The major cyber bullying themes include sexual victimization, generalized bullying, and name calling (Nixon 143). In most cases the females are distressed with the three forms of cyberbullying mentioned above. The most distressing type of cyber bullying is sexual intimidation because it lowers the esteem and dignity of the victim. According to Na, “Between 4% and 30% of the youth in the U.S. reported having been cyberbullied. Additionally, 55.3% of college students reported being victims of cyberbullying at least once in their lifetime” (1). Evidently, the rates of cyberbullying in the USA alone are alarming hence necessary measures should be taken to safeguard the vulnerable child from it (Na 2).
5.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, this essay has discussed why cyberbullying is dangerous than traditional bullying. Cyberbullying refers to the harassment that occurs through the electronic media such as online voting booths, E-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms and cell phones. Cyberbullying aims at harming or threatening others, and it is inclusive of the harassing information that may be posted on forums, the Internet, and blogs. Cyberbullying cannot be prevented by the police because it does not entail face to face confrontations between the bully and the victim. Markedly, the cyber bullies are emboldened by the anonymity feeling and say things that are inappropriate through the internet. Unfortunately, it is not easy to identify a cyber bully like it is to identify a bully in the traditional face to face bullying. Authorities find it difficult to track down the cyber bullies; hence, the bullies harass other people continuously without the fear of being caught. The bullies change their s and passwords often to disguise their identities hence the write false and misrepresented. The long-term implications of cyber bullying are greater than those of traditional bullying. The electronic gadgets such as cell phones and digital cells increase the speed at which the message sent by the bully is spread. The harmful messages that aim at undermining an individual's reputation are more damaging than the traditional face to face altercations. The images and messages can be sent to a large audience within a short time, and this undermines the privacy of the victim. All in all, cyberbullying is more dangerous than traditional bullying.
6.0 Works Cited
Barlett, Christopher P. "Anonymously hurting others online: The effect of anonymity on cyber bullying frequency." Psychology of Popular Media Culture 4.2 (2015): 70.Print.
Krause, Carl Lance. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study on the Effects of Cyberbullying on Public School Children in Central Pennsylvania. Diss. Drexel University, 2015.Print.
Lapidot-Lefler, Noam, and Michal Dolev-Cohen. "Comparing cyberbullying and school bullying among school students: prevalence, gender, and grade level differences." The social psychology of education 18.1 (2015): 1-16.Print.
Na, Hyunjoo. "The Effects of Cyberbullying Victimization on Psychological Adjustments Among College Students." (2014).Print.
Nixon, Charisse L. "Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health." Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics 5 (2014): 143.Print.
Smokowski, Paul R., Caroline BR Evans, and Katie L. Cotter. "The differential impacts of episodic, chronic, and cumulative, physical bullying and cyberbullying: The effects of victimization on the school experiences, social support, and mental health of rural adolescents." Violence and Victims 29.6 (2014): 1029-1046.Print.