In the previous years, when we hear about a person being bullied, we often regard it as something awful and we usually feel sympathetic towards the person. In the same light, most of us would condemn the perpetrators, the rude bullies. However, we also have this thought in mind that the ones that are being bullied are not completely free from fault. Most of us have this belief that bullies will not do harsh things to you if you do not appear to be weak and helpless.
It is a fact that the strong and the witty end up as bullies while the weedy and flaccid individual is expected to suffer from his helplessness. This can be very common in classrooms, school premises, playgrounds, in the workplace and even at home wherein the eldest sister will usually outshine the younger ones and get hold of all the favours.
That was how we perceived bullying some time before. But as time goes by, we realize that bullying has taken a perked up form as well as made use of a varied medium – perpetrators are able to maximize technology to forward their malicious undertakings.
Cyberbullying Information: How Bullying Was Altered
For us to get hold of a clear understanding of the Future of Bullying it would be appreciated for us to determine several features of traditional bullying that are significantly modified or altered by the kind of bullying we have today.
§ The Subject of Bullying. As mentioned earlier, the subject of bullying in the past is regularly those people who are weak and can be easily ill treated. They are those individuals whom you can throw ripe tomatoes on their white collared shirt but would not fight back. They can be those teary eyed girls whose pink little coin purse can be hidden in someone else’s locker.
The subject of traditional bullying is further identified as the weaklings of the playground, the ones who cannot run very fast and would stifle with no trouble. It can be the fattest kid with a festive lunchbox or the kid with scanty funds. It can be the child whose mother is not around to defend him against the dirty tricks of the naughty boys at the corner of the road.
It can be the orphan who did not have the chance to know his parents. It can be the dumbest worker at the office who gets all the errands like cleaning the entire area after he is summoned to buy lunch for everybody. It can be the elderly folk who have a hard time in making their way towards the fifth floor of the building where he resides.
Undeniably, that was our old concept of bullying. But how did things change lately regarding the subject of bullying? Accordingly, the subject of today’s cyberbullying is not necessarily weak and powerless. As a matter of fact, even the richest and the most powerful people like heads of state and royalties can be a subject of bullying. Multi billion company executives for instance can be a subject of cyberbullying as evidenced by harsh publications dedicated to them.
The culprit can be a competitor company, a displeased employee or an envious colleague. With the provided example, we can recognize that the subject of bullying can be anybody regardless of status, gender, creed, age or race. Everyone can be a victim. Everybody can be bullied.
§ The Mode. As we know, bullying in the past can only be done with a face-to-face encounter. Thus, the bullies must be personally present to insult, hurt and humiliate the powerless victim. The victim therefore will have a chance to identify the perpetrators and possibly prepare for a defence. In contrast, the latest form of bullying can be virtually done.
This means that the culprits may not need to face the victim to deliver an attack or to personally post abusive remarks at his locker or at his door. The latest bullying mode of bullying can be perfected by sending obnoxious emails, and messages on mobile phones as well as hacking your own online account and placing mortifying statements on your behalf. It is further observed, that penetrators can remain to be unidentified thus with lesser chances of retribution.
§ The Medium. As already mentioned, the most prevalent medium used in bullying today is the Internet. Perhaps, we can attribute the prominence of cyberbullying to the unlimited accessibility of the World Wide Web. Today, we can observe that even children at a very early age are already greatly exposed to online games, and social networking sites and have their personal emails.
This made cyberbullying easier to accomplish as cyberbullies can simply send the messages anonymously or hack the accounts without being caught. The absence of fear of reprisal has even motivated a lot of people to engage in cyberbullying. For instance, a husband may anonymously and incessantly harass his wife who wants to get hold of a divorce. This can also be done by an envious neighbour who despises you for having a brand new car and a beautiful wife.
§ The Intention. Perhaps, the main motivating factor why a person bullies another is to cause the other person pain and humiliation. Traditionally, bullies are the bad boys who do not have anything sensible to do. Experts would say that traditional bullies can be psychologically ill. In contrast, modern cyberbullies may be motivated by more intense reasons such as personal hatred and revenge other than the predilection of causing humiliation and pain to a stranger.
§ The Effect on the Victim. In traditional bullying, the victim may be allowed to recover hastily. As soon as the bullies are out of sight, the victim may immediately continue with his life. However, with the latest trends of cyberbullying, the effects may be long term and can even last forever if not addressed immediately and effectively.
Now, if we ask about the Future of Cyberbullying then we can say that such can be very promising if we fail to address the problem instantaneously. If you have been a victim of cyberbullying or happen to know one then this piece of writing will be helpful.
Cyberbullying Information: How to Put an End to Cyberbullying
Wikipedia defines cyberbullying as an undertaking that is dedicated to causing harm to a certain person with the usage of modern technologies such as the internet and mobile phones. This may help us come up with a conclusion that once you are exposed to modern technological devices which are very likely, you are also exposed to the risk of being cyberbullied.
If you are not yet a victim of cyberbullying then it would be recommended to take action so as not to become one.
§ Secure Personal Information. The reality is that, once you divulge your personal information to the online community, the risk of cyberbullying will also arise. Thus, it would be best to keep pertinent details such as your full name, birth date, address, phone numbers and passwords secured. It is not advisable for you to disclose these details, especially to sites that require you to key them in since you will be opening the doors toward cyberbullying. For instance, if you are required to key in the password of your email to an online game site, it would be best to steer clear of it.
Realize the fact that your personal password is for your consumption only and once it is made known to another person or site, third persons may be allowed to access it. The same rule goes for keying in your mobile numbers such as on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. You have to know that by doing such, you might also be welcoming unsolicited messages and calls from strangers.
§ Limit Your Child’s Online Exposure. Note for a fact that as a parent, it would be recommended that you keep track of your child’s exposure to the online world. Although it can be true that exposing them to the internet can be beneficial since we are now in a technological era but such would also be detrimental if not properly employed. Take an example that allowing your child to have their own email and to browse the internet for some information or games can be good but this must be done with your guidance.
Notice the reality that cyberspace is a healthy environment for child molesters to ensnare innocent kids. If at all possible, you must be around each time they go online. You may also program the computer so that your child can also access certain sites that are appropriate for them. In addition, the presence of web trackers may allow you to check on your child’s internet dealings.
§ Thwart Cyberbullying Indications. If you begin to notice that there are cyberbullying risks such as anonymous entities sending emails and messages to you or your child, it would be best to put up a defence as early as possible. Block these people or deactivate your account on a certain website so as to be safe.
At the end of the day, cyberbullying these days may take a new form and make use of varying modes but then some attributes of traditional bullying remain. One of which is that when you are careless and appear to be weak, you will be an attractive prey. But if you are careful and secure, cyberbullies may not penetrate you. As a lot of folks would always say, it would be best to prevent it beforehand rather than to take drastic measures in putting it to an end later on.
Nevertheless, if you realize that you are already a victim of cyberbullying then Stop Cyberbullying would suggest the following:
§ Fight Cyberbullying. If you must remember, once the teary eyed girl would take a stand and start to fight the mean girls, the bullies will stop teasing her or would take less obvious action against her. The same can be true with cyberbullying. The Future of Cyberbullying will not be promising if we fight to cyberbully today. Now, we will wonder, how can we fight cyberbullying?
Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying might be hard to combat since you may not know the culprit. However, this does not mean that you are left with no possible defences at all. If you start to receive offensive messages on your email then block the sender. Most often than not, messages from cyberbullies will end up in your spam folder. In addition, if abusive messages are sent to you via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter then the most reasonable thing for you is to block the person or entity.
Lately, these social networking sites allow you to report the said incident to the administrator. If cyberbullying is done through foul notes on your mobile phone then you can call consumer support and file a report. You may opt to change your phone number or else you can block the said sender of the insulting message.
§ Take the Blanket Offered by the Anti Cyberbullying Law. Recently, a law has been passed with the purpose of curbing cyberbullying crimes. To this end, serious undertakings might be taken by the authorities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation may help you put down the culprits. As cyberbullying arises to be a severe problem, the government is also taking staid actions to keep cyberbullying curbed.
§ Protect Yourself. Again, the greatest form of curtailing the Future of Bullying is to remain protective. If it is not possible for you to limit your exposure to technological devices and other mediums of cyberbullying then get hold of utmost security. Sign in only for reputable websites. Do not entertain spam messages. Do not give anybody your personal codes unless they can indispensable. You still have to be cautious all the time because the cyberbully is not always a stranger but it can be a friend, a co-worker, a neighbour or a relative.
The cyberbully can be anybody that would be willing to cause you pain, fear and humiliation. In the case that you have kids, see to it that you know the codes to their emails and social networking sites. This way, you can monitor if there is malicious information forwarded to them.
It is also advised for you to be updated on the online world that your children are entering. For instance, you must be a Facebook friend or a Twitter follower of your child so you can know those people that they mingle with virtually.
§ Get Some Help. As a parent, it can be very advantageous to instil in the minds of your children that you will be willing to help them out in case of trouble with cyberbullies. The fact remains that most children would decline to tell their parents that someone is harassing them online or sending them offensive mobile messages because they dread that Mom and Dad would limit their usage of the computer or take away their mobile phone. But if you hearten your kids that you are after their welfare and that you will not allow anybody to harm them you will be the first one to know each time a cyberbully appears in the picture.
The Future of Cyberbullying: How to Muddle Through Cyberbullying Successfully
Understandably, muddling through cyberbullying may not be as easy as deleting an offensive message on your Gmail inbox. You must know that cyberbullying undertakings can be repeated and become very harsh.
§ Stop the Crime. Primarily, before you can successfully cope with cyberbullying, you must first put an end to it. It is not possible for you to continue if the cyberbullying undertakings remain to exist. As it is said, the destructive underling must be stopped foremost. After which, you can start your ordeal of muddling through your normal life.
§ Ask Some Help. It would be healthy for you to seek help from people whom you trust. For instance, if you are a child, you can ask the help of your parents or your professor. Taking it out with your friends or colleagues may also help out lighten the burden. You have to know that being harassed may not be very easy for you especially if you have to shoulder it alone.
If you feel that you already need expert assistance then several therapists and psychologists will be available to help you regain your sense of security. Seeking professional help may be very helpful for children and teenage individuals who are being cyberbullied.
§ Help Other Victims. It is without a doubt that the greatest and the most productive ways to muddle through cyberbullying will be to help other victims cope. Perhaps, you can form an association that would assist cyberbullying victims. Also, you can get hold of other individuals who would be willing to join your association. There can be several technological experts who might aid you in identifying cyberbullies. In addition, you can offer pieces of advice and suggestions to people who are bullied in the cyber world.
If you are a parent, you can team up with other parents to promote the welfare of your children. You can gather your kid with other children who are cyberbullied so they can share their fears and common feelings. Know that children will feel more comfortable sharing it with kids of their age rather than with a psychologist, a teacher or their parents.
By helping other victims, you will notice that you are also helping yourself in the process. The more you help, the more you feel fulfilled and secure. By helping each other, Cyberbullying can be easily muddled through.
The most important thing that would be a deterrent to the Future of Bullying is our sense of awareness of it as well as our capacity to win it over. Thus, know exactly what it is and how it is done. This can also be the exact way to know how to overcome it.
Moreover, to be cyberbullied is not something that you should be ashamed of. It is something to be determined, to be battled and to have triumphed. This battle is not something that you need to face alone. There can be several people who have the same fate as yours and together, we can figure out a way to put the Future of Bullying to its closing stages.
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