Cyber Bullying: Harassment in the Digital Age

Running head: CYBER BULLYING
CYBER BULLYING
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CYBER BULLYING
Cyber bulling can be stated as a type of harassment or bullying, which is prevalent in
the internet with the help of electronic media like e-mail, social media like face book, Insta
gram, Twitter. In addition, it may also include online blogs and articles. Cyber harassment or
cyber bullying can also be considered or mentioned as the online bullying. In recent time of
digital age, Cyber bulling has become extremely common mainly among the young
teenagers, young kids and young adults. Cyber bullying is be said to happened or done when
an teenager or an adult harasses or bullies other kids or adult people on the internet mainly on
the new media like social media platforms like the face book, Insta gram, Twitter. Social
media platform tends to have a much greater reach and accessibility in today`s time
(Whittaker & Kowalski, 2015). Various form of cyber bullying that is prevalent in today’s
time in the internet which has an harmful psychological and sociological effect can be stated
as the spreading of rumors, giving up of death threats and sexual threats, spreading of
personal information of the victims in the wrong platform, putting up of hate speeches on the
online platform. In addition to all these, manipulation and posting of various personal
information and pictures about the victim on the online platform. This would in turn create a
negative image about the victim among his or her social cycle and thus create a psychological
pressure. It can be said that Cyber harassment or cyber bullying is a repeating behavior that is
done with an intention to harm the victim or the target person. A victim of cyber bullying or
Cyber harassment may face lots of difficulties and challenges due to psychological pressure.
He or she may feel or experience low self-esteem, different type of negative feelings and
emotions like being angry, frustrated, depressed and angry all the time. In addition, there is
an increase tendency for suicide and self-inflicting harm (Brewer & Kerslake, 2015).
The most commonly used definitions of the term cyber harassment or cyber bullying
is that it is an violent form of intentional activities or behaviors that is being conducted by a
individual or an group of individuals with the help of an electronic devices continuously for

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CYBER BULLYING
over a period of time. Cyber harassment or cyber bullying mainly occurs with those persons
who are not able to protect or defend herself or himself from the victimizers. It can be said
that the term cyber harassment or cyber bullying understood and defined in many different
ways such. Say as an example the “National Crime Prevention Council” define the terms in a
more specific and appt way. According to them, cyber harassment or cyber bullying can be
stated as the action or the process of using the modern technologies or devices such as the
mobile phone and other electronic devices, which has a good internet connection in order to
upload or send various pictures or text messages to the other people or group of people. This
is done in order to or with the intention of embarrassing or hurting the victim (Brewer &
Kerslake, 2015).
Cyber bulling or cyber harassment can be considered as same as the traditional
bullying many a times with some few minor changes. One of the major differences between
the traditional form and the modern form which is also known as the cyber bullying is that
the victims do not known the person or the group of person who are bulling them nor are they
aware about the reason as to why the person is bullying or targeting him or her (Casas et al.,
2013). The following harassment or bullying can have a huge psychological effect on the
victim as the material or information that is used and spread has huge range and accessibility
since it is on the internet. In addition, the information and the content remains in the internet
for a long period of time even after being removed from the internet by the cyber cell
(Waasdorp & Bradshaw, 2015).The terms cyber bullying or cyber harassment are often used
as interchangeably or synonymously. However many a times the term cyber bullying are
often used by the involved people in order to describe the harassment particularly related to
the minors or junior in the background of school (Brewer & Kerslake, 2015).

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In the year 2010s, there was an increase in the awareness rated of the cyber bullying
in the United States of America after there was an increase in the number of the high profile
cases in the country. In many countries all around the word, they have specific laws and
legislations related to the cyber bullying or cyber harassment. Some of the rules and
regulation are mainly formulated in order to curb the increase in the cyber bullying or cyber
harassment among the young teenagers. Talking about the cases specifically about the adult
cyber harassment or cyber bullying, the reports are specifically needed to be filed in the local
police at the starting itself (Hinduja, & Patchin, 2014).
According to the various researches conducted and as mentioned earlier cyber
bullying or cyber harassment has various significant effects on the victims. One of the most
common forms of cyber bullying or cyber harassment can be said to be the Internet Trolling.
Internet Trolling is done over the Internet especially in an online community, which may
include the online social media sites in addition to the various online gaming websites and
applications. Internet trolling are done especially in order to draw out a reaction, in order for
one`s own personal fun and entertainment or to create disruption, chaos and confusion. It can
be said the cyber bullying and internet trolling or trolls may not always have the same motive
or target. While some internet trolls, may lead to or cause cyber bullying or cyber
harassments. Some of the internet may be involved in a completely harmless naughtiness or
mischief (Kowalski, et al., 2014).
Cyber stalking can be said or termed as another form of cyber bullying or cyber
harassment with the use of electronic device and internet that has a significant effect on the
victims. In cyber stalking, the victim is being stalked by the offender. It is a much dangerous
form of cyber harassment or cyber bullying as the security and safety of life of the victims
comes in to question or is at a dangerous (Brewer & Kerslake, 2015).