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  • Essay / Understanding Cyberbullying in Today's Society

    “Cyberbullying is bullying by email, instant messaging, in a chat room, on a website, or by messages or photos sent to a cell phone” (Allman 44). Although many people know to ignore people who bully online, teens should still report cyberbullying if they witness it. Many people are hurt by what people say on Facebook and Twitter. Some even committed suicide. Because cyberbullying has been the cause of so many deaths, people should know what cyberbullying is, understand its effects, become familiar with the law, and prevent cyberbullying from continuing.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The Internet has taken over the world. Instead of calling someone for a conversation, people text each other. To catch up with old friends, people use Facebook and Twitter. Networks like Facebook and Twitter have millions of users online every day. Social networks have changed the face of the Internet. People are now connecting, sharing, coming together and making new friends. People also use social media to promote their music and potentially get discovered. In this modern age, your entire life can be stored on a smartphone. It carries your files, media, music, email, and social life. However, with all these benefits, when does technology have its harmful effects? Cyberbullying affects people in many ways. For both the bully and the victim, cyberbullying can damage your reputation. You may even get rejected from your dream school. Cyberbullying also causes stress, depression and suicidal thoughts (Stop Cyberbullying). Cyberbullying can kill. Sending hateful messages via the Internet could end someone's life. "Take 13-year-old Hope Witsell. Last year, the middle schooler from Ruskin, Florida, sent a photo of her breasts to a boy she liked. Another student took it and it went viral In Hope's case, it worked with devastating effect. On September 12, 2009, she took her own life. online” (Hunter). from New York, who was bullied online with gay slurs for more than a year. The teenager's parents, friends and even Lady Gaga, who was his idol, have expressed outrage at what they say is incessant torment on social media sites. Jamey had just started his freshman year at Williamsville North High School. But the bullying began in middle school, according to his parents and friends. that he had experienced hateful comments at school and online, mainly related to his sexual orientation” (James). This proves that tormenting someone on social media is not a game to play. Many people believe that people don't take things seriously, that they are as harsh as they appear. Someone online can never tell if the jokes and threats that are typed could actually involve death. Most people don't take other people's emotions and what they might do to themselves seriously. Everyone takes things and copes differently. Some mightabandon it because it’s “just the internet.” However, some may take things more seriously and take things to heart. So, if the consequences of cyberbullying are so numerous, how do you know if you are also a bully? Some questions to ask are: "Have I ever logged in with someone else's username to get information?" “Did I scare or threaten anyone in an email or tweet?” “Did I use profanity online? » If so, this person could be hurting someone right now without realizing what they are doing. (Stop Cyberbullying)What should teenagers do if they are cyberbullied? Well, silence is not an option. If everyone knew how not to respond to someone online inappropriately, there wouldn't be victims afraid to go to school or whose self-esteem would be shattered by a status. Children should be encouraged to calm down if they are upset. This includes disconnecting from the computer and trying other ways to reduce stress without using Internet profanity and threats toward one of their peers to calm them down. This includes going to a friend's house, playing sports, cooking, etc. Additionally, children can speak to the school administration and their parents and request to remain anonymous. If this is done, there will be fewer victims on the web and we will put an end to cyber-harassment. Since this type of harassment has cost so many young lives, is there a law for people who find entertainment in tormenting others on the Internet? Well, there are. And people are locked up for it. "In defamation cases, the person targeted can file a lawsuit against the person who made the statement. If the suit is successful, the person who made the statement will have to pay damages (money) to the target." (Media Awareness Network) It is not only the bully who must pay, but also the school he attends. "A school or workplace that does not do everything it can to provide a safe environment may be sued by the target(s). Even if a statement is not defamatory, its dissemination may still create a dangerous environment." (Media Awareness Network)In the past, high school students have faced serious consequences when their victim committed suicide. But what is the law? When will your right to free speech end for you and could it lead to you being arrested? For example, "nine Massachusetts teenagers were charged with participating in a months-long campaign of intimidation that led to the January suicide of a 15-year-old girl, a prosecutor said Monday." "It appears Phoebe's death on January 14 followed a day of torture for her, during which she was subjected to verbal harassment and physical abuse," she said. "(CNN) Or another example," a 16-year-old student at Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Virginia, is accused in a police affidavit of creating a Facebook page called "Stonewall hoes" and posting photos of nine other students at Stonewall Jackson High School with obscene captions under each of them." (Gordon) Many people might argue that the girl, and all the other sons or daughters who went into exile because of a tweet or text message, were just too sensitive. That it was their fault for taking the comments so seriously. However, it is never okay to humiliate or hurt someone. Not only can this cause depression, but it is also against the law. “Cyberbullying laws already exist in some states..