UHAK Case Study UHAK1012 SEC 07
CYBERBULLY: A FORM OF VIRTUAL ABUSE
We take pictures of ourselves and post it online, on our social media platform, just to show people that we had a good day today. There will be those few who will comment on your post saying bad stuff over it. A few of our friend would say how happy they are for us. But a hater, will always hate. It has becoming a problem to our nation due to our technology today and it is becoming one of the problems that are difficult to resolve in our society. No matter who you are, a commoner, a saint, a priest, a celebrity, or even the Prime Minister, those who hate you will always find their time to spread their hate towards you, and that’s where cyber bullying takes place. It has been a common thing in Malaysia for the people to spread their hate towards others on the internet. It might have reached to an extent that people don’t think twice about their actions and they feel like their actions are non-consequential when in reality, it will cause several downside effects.
The term bullying is equated to the concept of harassment, which is a form of unprovoked aggression often directed toward another individual while cyber bullying occurs when an individual is being threatened, harassed, targeted, humiliated or embarrassed by another individual on the internet. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers. Harmful bullying actions also include posting fake rumors, threats, sexual remarks, a victims' personal information, or hate speech. When it happens on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or even in the comment sections in Youtube, when an individual commented something that is meant to degrade you in any sort of way, to shame you and make you feel bad about yourself, they are in fact cyber bullying you. According to Mohamed Basyir (2018) as cited in ‘Put an end to cyberbullying..’ (2018), “Bullying has come under the spotlight in recent years following the deaths of several students.” This shows how cyberbully in our nation has become a serious issue.
On September 7, 2012, a 15-year old girl, Amanda Todd was also a victim of cyberbully. She committed suicide after being bullied online by a stranger. The stranger convinced her to do unspeakable stuff on the internet and later her photos were used to blackmail her. She attempted suicide by drinking a harmful substance but she survived. After her failed attempt, she received a lot of negative messages from people about her failed suicide attempt. Another similar case which happened when a 12-year-old girl was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead at the hospital. She was also a victim of cyber bully. It was believed that 2 people were involved in spreading fake news about her and threaten to expose her personal and sensitive details. These incidents highlights how fatal cyber bullying can be. How much damage it can cost to the people. It can hurt someone, causes anxiety or depression or even worse, death.
Many have questioned what led people to be involved in cyber bully. Those who are on the social fringes tend to bully because they thought the act of bullying other people online would make them popular while some others bully other people to make them feel powerful and allow them to have a sense of control towards other. As cited by Jenny M. (2016) in ‘Why do people cyberbully?’ (2016), “Popular kids or teens may bully because they see it as a way to stay popular and hurting others makes them feel powerful.”
But what about those who are not on the social fringes? Those who are less socially successful bully others because it is a way for them to cope with their low self esteem. People who are less confident and have lower self-esteem finds bullying as a way for them to cope with their problems. They also think that it will help them to blend in with the people who they thought to be cool and popular. These types of people find it hard to empathize those who they hurt. As mentioned by Mendez G. (2016) in ‘Delete Cyberbullying’ (2016), “These types of people find it hard to empathize those who they hurt.” This is because they have yet experience being bullied. In general, people who bullies actually stem from their own personal problems. They are unable to solve their own problems and it has led to them expressing their problems in the wrong way. They often face problems when it comes to controlling their emotions and impulses and it is difficult for them to follow the rules. Furthermore, by cyberbullying, it allows these individuals to avoid facing the consequences as if they is an illusion that they won’t be known and that these bullies won’t be able to get caught. Therefore, these bullies require less courage because they don’t have to face their victims face to face. Based on the National Council on Crime Prevention reports, in a survey of teenagers, 81% of them believed that cyber bullying is funny. They do not have to see their victim’s reaction and thus they won’t know how much of a damage they have done to their victims. Last but not least, social pressure also plays a major role in cyber bullying. Some of the individual who cyberbullies think that their behaviour is socially acceptable, especially when their friends are encouraging them to do it out of sheer fun.
A second question surfaced, how do we overcome cyber bullying? There are several ways that we can do in order to put an end to cyber bully. But every single one of us have to play a part. For kids and teens, they must not retaliate when they are being bullied. As mentioned by Susan L. (2018) in ‘Tips to help cyberbullying’, “Don’t respond or retaliate. Sometimes a reaction is exactly what aggressors are looking for.” This is because a reaction is most likely what the bully are looking for so that they would feel powerful towards you, and you don’t want to empower a bully. If you were to retaliate, it would make you look like one or making it to be a chain reaction. It causes bully to repeat their actions over and over again. If you can, remove yourself from the situation and just ignore the bullies. Other than that, you should always save the evidence so that you can show it to someone who can help you. You should always save the evidence just in case the situation escalated to something major. Moreover, protecting our accounts is one of the ways to avoid being bullied. Some bullies like to use our pictures and blackmail us using the pictures that they have stolen. It is better if we take safety precaution steps and protect our account so that the bullies wont be able to access your private online storage as mentioned by Robin K. (2018) in ‘Tips to Stop…’(2018), “Protect your accounts. Don’t share your passwords with anyone – even your closest friends.” Additionally, if someone that you know is being bullied online, you should take some actions. Stand against the bully and support the victim. Report the bully to a moderator if you can and block them. Do not let the bullies get empowered. Offer some kind words to the victim so that they can forget about their problem.
On the other hand, the adults can play a vital role in helping to reduce cyber bully as well, they must set a clear and enforceable rules and expectations. Rules should be made according to the appropriateness of their age. For the youngsters, the rules should be made simpler. When kids become older, shape the rules that can make them to be a better person. Make a rule that can shape their children that any form of bullying is not acceptable in the society. Other than that, we should always check for warning signs. According to Erin H. (2015) as cited in ‘10 Ways to Help Reduce..’ (2015), “Warning signs may include difficulty sleeping, loss interest in their studies, declining grades or loss of friends.” We should be aware of these warning signs as it may help someone who is dealing with this problem. You should also check their social accounts occasionally, just in case they are being bullied by their peers or there are strangers who are messaging them inappropriately. Furthermore, we should discuss what cyberbullying is and the harm it can cause toward others. The youth should be aware of the damage of cyberbullying can do to others and that they will not be able to avoid from the consequence of bullying, either in the real world or online. They should know that being mean is being mean and cyber bullying is never funny and should never be taken as a joke. Other than that, we should communicate with the people who needs our help. Communication is key to solving a problem when it comes to cyber bullying. The victims will need emotional support.
In this modern era, we post everything online that is open to the public. Even if we set our accounts as private, it can still be shared by someone to the rest of the world. Youth today are glued to their mobile phones and their gadgets making them very susceptible to cyber bullying. Cyberbullying is becoming one of the common problems that is very difficult to deal with. Bullying has come under the spotlight of our country for the past years and causing the death of several students at the hands of their own friends, and all of this was caused by cyberbullying. CyberSecurity Malaysia has revealed that 338 cases in Malaysia were recorded regarding about cyberbullying. We should never bully people, or in this case, cyberbully people because, as small as it may seem, the impact towards the society is massive. There are people who took their own lives, fell into depression and made them feel dissatisfied with who they are just because of cyberbullying. We have to curb this problem so that the future generation will have a safer online platforms to use.
I have come to the conclusion that cyber bullying should not be done by any individual as it comes with major consequences and can affect those who are being bullied severely. We should walk hand-in-hand to put an end to this problem before it becomes a virus that cannot be stop. Last but not least, not one individual should bully another individual for their own satisfaction or pleasure. Everyone should be treated with respect and care anywhere in this world, be it in the real world or in the cyberspace. Bullying in any form is wrong. Completely wrong.