New technology helps people keep in touch, but it has also made way for a new form of bullying – cyberbullying. What exactly is it?
Lisa was angry with her teacher so she called him “gay” to a group at a school chat room.
Isabelle was voted the ugliest girl in school on an online polling website.
When Jenny put her birthday pictures online, someone wrote that they’d rather cut off their arms than touch her.
Each of these true life experiences is an example of cyberbullying, using technology to harass, scare and tease. The weapons are not fists; they are instant messages, camera phones, websites, chat rooms, text messaging and blogs. Cyberbullies are mobile, anonymous, and don’t stop... Their victims could be anyone.
So what makes a girl a bully?
In cyberworld they may not be the strongest or the most popular. What they all share is a language with words meant to hurt their victim’s self-esteem. Psychologists say it’s either because the bullies feel bad about themselves or because they have been victims of other bullies. Lucy, an admitted cyber bully, said, “I picked on Holly first so that no one would pick on me. Of course I know it’s not nice to have fun at someone else’s expense, but I love being undercover and in control.”
It takes more courage to be against this form of violence than to go along with it.
