#4 Trolling, Bullying, Harassment, and Social Media Conflict - Does history tend to repeat itself? or can we end cyberbullying?
It often stems from the roots of education that this bullying occurs and that we take for granted. Children donât know what they are doing, âtheyâre dumb, they were proudâ, and only now do they realise they are sorry for their actions - as seen depicted in the video above.
The research tells us that 70% of 18-24 yr olds report witnessing online harassment and 40% of all internet users report experiencing at least one form of online harassment.
This is too much. Why, though? Why are our children, and my friends getting âcaught in the crowdâ? Where is the missing link? - The link of education, the thought of âthis could really upset someoneâ? There needs to be change.
The internet is a very... VERY dark place. Listening to the video i shared above, or any of Kateâs songs (Last Day On Earth) while looking at these photos is depressing enough. Its merely a snapshot of the world we live in, and the harm that can be done. Donât be an internet asshole (or troll).
Why? Well let me get personal with you. You might think its funny, or youâre being cool and impressing your friends. But the person you are hurting could end up like the women depicted above. Better yet they donât. But speaking from experience it hurts. It also hurts to know someone who has chosen the darkness at the end of the tunnel, and not the light. To be the one to talk to their families. Or worse off, why would you want the guilt of being the accused?
Dana Boyd focuses on the story of Abigail following âin-direct bullyingâ in schools and the sharing of rumours and gossip, drama. - its worth a read, and gives an insight into whether social media contributes to bullying.
But does it?
âCelebrities Read Mean Tweetsâ is supposed to be light-hearted, and share awareness on cyberbullying. But in actual fact its inviting people to be mean, its giving them a reason to write too celebrities in degrading ways (so they can get a âshout-outâ on youtube). It extends further to the play-ground or to your local community/network where you feel it is acceptable to âtrollâ your friends.
Trolling, in this instance is âa form of deception and manipulation, often with tacit consent of community members, but with the potential to disrupt, offend or âdisseminate bad adviceâ. It aims to âembarrass, anger, and disruptâ and that âit is often undertaken merely for amusement, but is sometimes driven by more âseriousâ motives including political goalsâ (McCosker, 2016, p. 5)
So often we see the victim of bullying the focus, the start to change. But why not the accused? Why are we focusing all our attention on providing more services for the victim?Â
Instead, the government and NGOâs need to try focusing on educating and punishing the bully, setting an example, and spreading awareness at a young age of the implications of bullying; not just cyberbullying, and trolling, but physical harassment as well.
Kateâs âCaught in the Crowdâ is a good tool for education in schools, depicting the regret of bullying. However the education needs to begin at younger ages, and progress throughout schooling. Similarly, there needs to be more services on helping the bully understand what theyâve done is wrong.
