Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones, and Words Can Actually Kill You...

     We are living in a world where social media and online networking is on a steady increase. The expansion of technology and the proliferation of internet usage has become widely accepted and more appreciated daily. It is apparent that more people have joined the hype over hysteria perspective of technological advancements as they continue to come about. Parents are a large portion of that population in which we see the evolution of trust in the internet grow. Researchers and various communication studies have aided in revealing the way parents are further allowing their children to participate in this new era of communication in which we obsess over; and they often doing so without monitoring them accordingly. Unfortunately for so many of these parents, it has resulted in devastation. It is not unusual that young children, and teenagers are surfing the web and interacting online without the constant supervision of an adult. As a result there has been serious negative effects as we see the numbers of cyberbullying and cyberstalking incidents spike. In today’s blog, I will be discussing the two counterparts as they can be interrelated.

     What is cyberbullying? The definition provided in a CAS 283 lecture is the “willful and repeated harm inflicted through phones and computers.”  Although anyone can be a victim of cyberbullying, we see it most prominent in our adolescences.  Incidents have consisted of offenders sending multiple cruel messages and or threats to their victim(s) using emails, text and etc…Other forms can be through the spreading of hurtful or untrue rumors online, and using photos that may unflatter or defame the victims reputation. These happenings are not innocent and can be traumatic experiences causing multiple issues to those who are affected. Examiners state that cyberbullying has been known to affect teens in the forms of anxiety, depression, and even worst suicide. While youth may not know the seriousness of these actions, it is the responsibility of parent guardians to supervise their children to avoid these instances. Those of you who do not understand the gravity of these undertakings, I would encourage to look into some devastating cases that have resulted in fatality such as Megan Meier. Megan Meir is the martyr and face of cyberbullying. For those who are not familiar with whom she is, she was a 13 year old girl who was a victim of this abuse that resulted in her suicide. The perpetrator in this incident was the mother of one of her friends in which she had a falling out with. She used the popular social networking site Myspace to commit the despicable acts. A fake profile was created in order to interact with Megan as the mother pretended to be a young male. The mother was sending her cruel messages and creating bulletins to deface the reputation of the soon to be 14 year old girl. Once the manipulation began it was too much for the young girl, who discovered had suffered from prior issues with her emotional state of being. As a result of what her friend’s mother did, Megan Meier committed suicide by hanging herself on October 17, 2006. The only positive that came out of this tragic incident is the effect it had on legislature and the awareness it has since brought to the public. There is now an act called the “Megan Meier Prevention Act,” in which works with respects to cyberbullying and protecting other youths like Megan. The story of this young lady draws attention back to the concept of deception which I explicated in the post prior to this one. The internet has made it particularly easy to mislead others that you connect with the way her friend’s mother did her. I am confident in saying I do not believe that Megan had ever even fathomed the idea of the profile being illegitimate. This idea often invokes me to question the overall safety of the internet in its entirety.

     Cyberstalking is another negative concept we are beginning to acquire more about. The definition of cyberstalking was also provided by a Cas 283 lecture and says it is “a pattern of behaviors that collectively is threatening or unwanted using the internet.” Cyber stalkers can target an individual, group, or organization and can include slandering, harassment, and defacing their victims. They often use the method of inducing fear and threatening to provoke the victims of their acts. As technology continued to develop, more information about cyberstalking will come about. In my findings it is not as popular as the discussion of cyberbullying. All in all I advise all parent to constantly monitor their children as they use the internet and web. I also encourage people to disclose less information online and be less trusting due to the increase in the ability to deceive others using computer mediated devices when communicating opposed to meeting in person.

By: Normani J. Marbury