The Wierdabrug Community Police Forum are concerned about recent events of children being traumatized by social peer pressure and being exacerbated by families going through difficult circumstances. Recent events of children suicides were reported that can be associated with the above matters.
A serious social media concern is that of Cyberbullying.
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the repeated and intentional use of digital technology to target another person with threats, harassment, or public humiliation.
Cyberbullying makes use of digital technology, which means that most people bully or are bullied through their mobile devices, tablets, or computers.
Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.
The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:
Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok
Text messaging and messaging apps on mobile or tablet devices
Instant messaging, direct messaging, and online chatting over the internet, Online forums, chat rooms, and message boards, such as Reddit, Email, Online gaming communities. Cyberbullying can harm the online reputations of everyone involved – not just the person being bullied, but those doing the bullying or participating in it.
Studies have shown that cyberbullying have been conducted with learners between the ages of 9 and 18 years old. The effects of cyberbullied victims generally manifest psychological problems such as depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, school phobias and social anxiety. It further also includes behavioral disorders of drinking alcohol, smoking and low commitment to academics. The most common mediums used for cyberbullying are instant messaging, chat rooms, social networking sites such as Instagram and web sites.
Cyberbullying has unique concerns in that it can be:
Persistent – Digital devices offer an ability to immediately and continuously communicate 24 hours a day, so it can be difficult for children experiencing cyberbullying to find relief.
Permanent – Most information communicated electronically is permanent and public, if not reported and removed. A negative online reputation, including for those who bully, can impact college admissions, employment, and other areas of life.
Hard to Notice – Because teachers and parents may not overhear or see cyberbullying taking place, it is harder to recognize.
Cyberbullying arises in light of five criteria: intention, repetition, power imbalance, anonymity, and publicity.
Intention
Cyberbullies generally have the intention of creating harm when they engage in online bullying. However, bullying can still take place without intention if a victim perceives actions to be harmful.
Repetition
Repetition is a hallmark characteristic of cyberbullying. This refers to repeated actions on the part of the bully, but also the fact that material that is shared on the Internet could last much longer than the original bullying. This is especially true in the case of sharing personal information or photos as a form of cyberbullying.
Power Imbalance
One of the other hallmark traits of cyberbullying is that victims are in a power imbalance situation with their bully. This can be especially true if the bullying takes place in a public forum.
Anonymity
Some cyberbullies make use of anonymity to hide behind their computer screen when they engage in bullying. In this case, there is no need for a power imbalance in the relationship between the bully and the victim.
Publicity
Finally, another trait of some cyberbullying is that it involves the use of publicity. This is especially true for those who choose to publicly humiliate or shame someone as their form of bullying.
Forms of Cyberbullying
What are the various forms of cyberbullying?
Flaming: Flaming refers to using inflammatory language about someone or broadcasting offensive messages about them in the hopes of eliciting a reaction. One example would be using phrases such as “Crooked Jenny” or “Sleepy Joe.”
Outing: Outing involves sharing personal or embarrassing information about someone on the Internet. This type of cyberbullying usually takes place on a larger scale rather than one-to-one or in a smaller group.
Trolling: Trolling refers to posting content or comments with the goal of getting people to have embarrassing online reactions. In other words, a troll will say something derogatory or offensive about a person or group, with the sole intention of getting people rallied up. This type of cyberbully enjoys creating chaos and then sitting back and watching what happens.
Name Calling: Name-calling involves using offensive language to refer to other people. Reports show that 42% of teens said they had been called offensive names through their mobile phone or on the Internet.
Spreading False Rumors: Cyberbullies who spread false rumors make up stories about individuals and then spread these false truths online. Similar reports show, 32% of teens said that someone had spread false rumors about them on the Internet.
Sending Explicit Images or Messages: Cyberbullies may also send explicit images or messages without the consent of the victim.
Cyber Stalking/Harassing/Physical Threats: Some cyberbullies will repeatedly target the same people through cyberstalking, cyber harassment, or physical threats. In that same report, 16% of teens reported having been the victim of physical threats on the Internet.
Why Do People Cyberbully?
There can be numerous different factors that lead to someone becoming a cyberbully.
Mental Health Issues
Cyberbullies may be living with mental health issues that relate to their bullying or make it worse. Examples include problems with aggression, hyperactivity or impulsivity, as well as substance abuse.
In addition, those with personality features resembling the “dark tetrad” of narcissism or psychopathy may be at risk for cyberbullying.6 These individuals tend to have a low level of empathy for other people and may bully others as a way to increase their sense of power or worth.
Victims of Bullying
Cyberbullies sometimes become bullies after having experienced cyberbullying themselves.7 In this way, they may be looking to feel more in control or lash out after feeling victimized and being unable to retaliate to the original bully.
Result of Conflicts or Breakups
Cyberbullying that takes place between two people that were previously friends or in a relationship may be triggered by conflicts in the friendship or the breakdown of the relationship. In this way, this type of cyberbullying might be viewed as driven by revenge or jealousy.
Boredom or Trying Out a New Persona
It has been suggested that some people engage in cyberbullying due to boredom or the desire to try out a new persona on the Internet.9 This type of cyberbullying would typically be anonymous.
Loneliness or Isolation
Cyberbullies may also be people who struggle with feeling isolated or lonely in society.10 If they feel ignored by others, they may lash out as a way to feel better or vent their rage at society.
Why People Become Cyberbullies
Non-Confrontational & Anonymous
The first reason why people may become bullies online when they would not bully in their everyday life has to do with the nature of the Internet. A person can bully others online and remain completely anonymous. Clearly, this is not possible with traditional bullying.
In addition, online bullying can be done in a non-confrontational way, particularly if it is anonymous. This means that a cyberbully may skip about the Internet leaving nasty comments and not stick around to hear the replies.
No Need for Popularity or Physical Dominance
In order to be a bully in real life, you typically need to have some advantage over your victim. This might mean that you are physically larger than them. It might mean that you are more popular than them. Or, it might mean that you have some sort of power imbalance over them.
In contrast, anyone can be a cyberbully. There is no need to have physical dominance or popularity. This means that people who want to bully can easily do it on the Internet regardless of their status in their real life.
No Barrier to Entry
Similar to the concept of there being no need to be dominant or popular, there is also a very low barrier to entry to becoming a cyberbully. Anyone with access to the Internet can get started. Friends are defined loosely online, which creates a situation that makes it very easy to bully others.
No Feedback From Victim
Finally, the last reason why people who do not bully in real life may engage in cyberbullying has to do with a lack of feedback from their victim. Cyberbullies usually engage in bullying over an extended period of time, largely because there is not generally feedback from the victim like there would be in a face-to-face interaction. Someone, who in real life would see the impact on their victim and back off, may not do the same in the case of cyberbullying.
Effects of Cyberbullying
There are numerous effects that may be seen in those who are dealing with cyberbullying. It can be helpful to know what to expect to see in a victim, as this can be one way to identify when someone is being bullied online.
Some of these effects are even stronger than what is seen with traditional bullying, as the victim often cannot escape the abusive situation. They may include:11
- Feelings of distress about the bullying
- Increased feelings of depression and mood swings
- Increased feelings of anxiety
- Problems falling asleep or staying asleep (e.g., insomnia)
- Suicidal ideas or suicide attempt
- Increased feelings of fearfulness
- Feelings of low self-esteem or self-worth
- Social isolation, withdrawing from friend groups, or spending a lot of time alone
- Avoiding doing things that they used to enjoy
- Poor academic performance
- Problems in relationships with family members and friends
- Symptoms of PTSD
- Self-mutilation (e.g., cutting, hitting yourself, headbanging)
- Substance abuse
- Increased feelings of anger, irritability, or angry outbursts
Characteristics of Victims
There are indeed some common aspects of the victim that tend to repeat themselves including the following characteristics:2
- Teens and young adults are the most at risk.
- In the case of spreading false rumours and being the recipient of explicit images, girls are more likely to be victims.
- People who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender may be victims more often.
- Those who are shy, socially awkward, or don’t fit in easily may become victims.
- People from lower-income households are more likely to be victims.
- People who use the Internet constantly are more likely to be victims of online bullies.
Anyone can become a victim of cyberbullying, even people who are considered public figures. People who have large followings on social media often tend to become targets for cyberbullies.
Wierdabrug CPF invite schools, parents and individuals to report cyber bullying to the Social Crime Department of Wierdabrug SAPS.
Wierdabrug Social Crime
Constable Sekwele
067 009 9144