Why is it Important to Work to Delete Cyber-bullying
Access to information was never as easy as it is today with smartphones and tablets that let us stay connected to the internet every waking minute of our lives. Although a boon in myriad ways, it is transformed into a bane when people start to misuse the internet and commit cyber-crimes. One type of cybercrime is known as cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is the use of cell phones, e-mails, social networking sites or chat rooms to send or post threatening, embarrassing or intimidating messages or pictures. It is mostly practiced by teens or preteens to target their peers. The number of kids who have been bullied online has reached incredulous proportions and, therefore, a lot needs to be done to delete cyber-bullying.
Victims of cyber-bullying exhibit the same kinds of problems as are shown by victims of conventional bullying. These consequences include a fall in self-esteem, poor grades, feeling of isolation or depression. However, researches have shown that victims of cyber-bullying show higher symptoms of depression than the victims of bullying at school. This suggests the idea that cyber-bullying can have more harmful effects on a child. Several reasons can be attributed to this. Firstly, cyber-bullying occurs at home. By making a child feel bullied, even at home, it can snatch the only place a child considers safe for himself. Moreover, things said via cyber-bullying can be more insensitive and harsh merely because the other person’s reaction cannot be seen. Also, by a few clicks, defamatory or humiliating material can be up for display to the entire school, or sometimes even the entire world. This all-encompassing method is bound to leave an indelible mark on the mind of the victim.
Perhaps what exacerbates the situation the most is the fact that the one who bullies can stay anonymous and hide behind fake e-mail accounts and profiles. Not only does it give a chance to the bully to be harsher in his comments but it also adds to the insecurity of the victim as he cannot find out the perpetrator. Although anonymity is one of the best incentives for the users of the internet, it turns into a monster when used as a weapon in order to bully online.
Other than direct cyber-bullying, some even resort to cyber-bullying by proxy. The proxy is usually an unaware accomplice of the cyber-bully. For instance, the ‘warning’ or ‘notify wars’ buttons are misused by these bullies. They click on these buttons to notify the Internet Service Providers that the victim has done something displeasing. The service provider sends warnings to the victim. Although the service providers usually check if it’s true, the receipt of warnings often stirs up the victim who may resort to abusive language, thus making it seem as the victim was originally the perpetrator.
Another scheme used by the cyber-bullies is to hack into the account of the victim and send hateful or dirty messages to everyone on the contact list, pretending to be a victim. The cyber-bully also changes the password of the account to prevent the victim from gaining access. All the contacts think that the victim is spewing forth the hate messages. This inevitably leads to severe humiliation and isolation of the victim and may lead to huge fights, all because of the mischief of a cyber-bully.
Cyber-bullying can therefore be practiced in a number of astonishing yet damaging ways. Not only does it engender deep consequences for the mental health of an individual but it also drives the victim towards seclusion. Cyber-bullies leave no stone unturned to turn a lapse of security into an opportunity by hacking into accounts and impersonating the victim. The disgrace suffered by the victim of cyber-bullying can take away the victim’s confidence and self-esteem forever, unless something is done about it. In this context, it is imperative to work to delete cyber-bullying to eliminate this menace from society root and branch.
