Cyberbullying: Who Are the Victims?

A Comparison of Victimization in Internet Chatrooms and Victimization in School


Abstract:
Bullying is not a phenomenon exclusive to the school environment. Pupils also become victims of verbal aggression (teasing, threats, insults, or harassment) in the context of internet chatrooms. The present study addresses the following questions: (1) How often does bullying occur in internet chatrooms? (2) Who are the victims of bullying in internet chatrooms? (3) What are the determinants of victimization in internet chatrooms? A total of 1700 pupils from various German secondary schools participated in the study. Results revealed a strong relationship between victimization in school and victimization in internet chatrooms; school victims are significantly more often chat victims. Furthermore, the predictors of chat and school victimization show both commonalities (gender, self-concept, child-parent relationship) and differences (social integration, popularity, and bullying behavior).


http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=4&hid=124&sid=be376f1c-665b-4c19-b103-9e0b21a181a5%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=edselp&AN=S1864110509600036

Victims of cyberbullying fight back in lawsuits

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Victims-of-cyberbullying-fight-back-in-lawsuits-3513480.php

When researching into cyber-bullying I came across this news story about a young girl in Georgia, Alex Boston, who had a fake Facebook page set up of her by her classmates. The page suggested Alex smoked marijuana and spoke a made-up language called 'Retardish' as well as making frequent sexual references and posting a racist video. The creators arse also accused of posting derogatory messages about her.

However, when Alex and her parents reported the page to police and school officials, they told her there was not much they could do because the harassment occurred off campus.

I found this story really interesting as it shows just how little the schools can do about this type of online bullying. Once it is outside the walls of the school it makes it really hard for the children and the parents to do anything in order to stop it, which is why this young girls parents have gone to the length of filing a lawsuit against the offenders. 

I was quite surprised to learn how little law is in place to help stop this type of abuse in some parts of the world, especially when fake Facebook pages and stuff are being set up - I'd have automatically assumed that cases like that would've been seen as stolen identity.

Cyber Bullying - We've come a Long Way, Baby. Have we really?

We've come a Long Way, Baby. Have we really?
Delivering The facts About Insidious Online Behaviour.

Abstract:
I doubt Mark Twain was referring to cyber bullying when he said: "A lie can travel around the world while the truth is putting it's shoes on." Although today, cyber-bullying confirms the accuracy of Twain's statement.


I found this journal really useful in explaining the meaning of cyber-bullying and helping to outline how new technologies are contributing to the increasing number of people falling victim to cyber-bullying everyday.  It talks about how social networking has become a part of everyday life in society and how this is fast becoming an easy way for people to 'tap into' one anothers lives.

"Before the internet made "social media" available, we were accustomed to talking to each other. Now, we can tap our phones to tap out way into someones life. It's much easier than tapping into someone's emotions - or our own for that matter. Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, Chat Rooms and Blogs make it happen..."

Secrets, Lies, and the internet enter Cyber Bullying, a relatively new fact of life allowing bullies almost unlimited power to torment, harass and humiliate their targets via e-mail, password and ID theft, chat rooms, camera, instant messaging and cell phones. Cyber bullying through proxy, a lesser known form of malicious bullying, occurs when bullies cause unsuspecting targets to do their dirty deeds. Malicious messages, defamatory words, compromising photographs and videos that inflict pain, damage reputations, de-mean, embarrass and attack the target's character and appearance, and reach thousands in overdrive, cause significant emotional distress, depression, and 'cyberbullicide'.

The journal also included a section on how to detect warning signs of cyber-bullying around you as well as ways of avoiding falling a victim to this kind of abuse.

Top 10 Cyber Bullying Warning Sign


1. Reluctance to use the computer or other electronic devices.
2. Fear of leaving home
3. Grades plunge, loses interest in school, or drops out
4. Lack of or extreme eating or sleeping
5. Change in dress and appearance
6. Appears sad or becomes angry after using computer or cell phone.
7. Stops socialising with friends.
8. Unusually depressed and/or moody.
9. Expresses an unusual interest in self-harm or suicide
10. Switches screen or closes the computer when someone walks by.


http://content.ebscohost.com/pdf27_28/pdf/2011/8RKO/01Sep11/69620396.pdf?T=P&P=AN&K=69620396&S=R&D=ehh&EbscoContent=dGJyMMTo50SeqLU4v%2BbwOLCmr0qep7NSr6a4S6%2BWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGptkqyqLRMuePfgeyx43zx

Harmless Joke or Cyber-Bullying?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4EjrFPAbbY&feature=related

This link is to a video made by ABC News to show how other people react when they see cyber-bullying going on around them. It's interesting to see how some people react towards the young girls, with one man even playing along with the hurtful comments.

It begs the question; how would you react if you seen the same sort of thing? would you speak up or just sit back and say nothing?

Cyber Bullying - Childnet International

This video is a campaign done by 'Childnet International' which illustrates the dangers of cyber-bullying and offers solutions to the problem. I found this video really powerful and thought it was interesting to see it from a boys perspective as most other stuff I've found focus on young girls.

Cyber Bullying - Bullied in our own bedrooms.

Vicious cyber-bullying is driving young girls to their deaths.


Abstract:
A month ago, Amy Louise Paul was a happy, lively 13-year- old who enjoyed going to school and seeing her friends. Then one of those friends turned against her.

In the past, this schoolgirl spat may have resulted in some name-calling or even a fight; Amy Louise and her mother would have preferred that.

For instead, the 'friend' set up a group on the internet called We Hate Amy Louise - 'for all of those people who hoped she would die already' - and invited her school friends to join. Which many did, adding their own malicious comments and encouragement.

This news article tells the story of young girls who have fell victim to cyber bullying. One of the young girls, Amy Louise has spoken out about just how low the vicious comments had made her feel saying; 


'I didn't believe it at first because we were friends, if it was to my face we could have argued and sorted it out between ourselves but instead she asked all her friends to write about me on the internet. It's much worse because it's more public than name-calling. When I first saw the comments she'd written I wanted to kill myself.

But what is shocking is how widespread cyber-bullying has become, with the report going on to say that; 'Statistics show as many as one in five children have been at the receiving end of abuse via the internet or a mobile phone'

There has also been a rise in suicides by teenage victims of cyber-bullying, youngsters so distraught by their torment they are driven to take their own lives. This year's Anti-Bullying Alliance survey revealed that 18 per cent of ten and 11-year- olds had been cyber-bullied while in their own home. There has also been a rise in suicides by teenage victims of cyber-bullying, with youngsters so distraught by their torment they are driven to take their own lives.' 


I find it really shocking and sad that so many young girls(and boys) out there are being harassed and bullied so much online that they would be willing to take their own lives. 


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1236481/Bullied-bedrooms-Vicious-cyber-bullying-driving-young-girls-deaths.html

Cyber Bullying - Statistics

A recent study shows that Cyber Bullying is now an even larger problem than bullying in physical life, with 47% of teens ages 12-17 reporting that they have witnessed online cruelty or meanness on social media sites like MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter:

This statistic shows the amount of times teenagers and adults witness online cruelty and meanness on social networking sites. 29 percent of teens aged 12 to 17 report to witness cruelty "sometimes" whereas only 18 percent of adults aged 18 + observed any of this.

Cyber Bullying

Whilst looking into the world of Cyber Bullying, I came across a really interesting report conducted by 'The Cybersurvey Essex. 2010 Youthworks Consulting Ltd.'  

I've posted an abstract below which oulines how new technology today is helping to contribute to the ever growing number of people admitting to have fallen victim to cyber bullying.

Abstract: 

‘Cyberbullying is an aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself.’

Although bullying has been around for generations, Cyberbullying is relatively new, constantly changing and poorly understood by many adults.

Young people have swiftly taken advantage of new technology. They use it to keep in constant touch with friends, share jokes and images, download music, TV and video clips. They try out identities and reflect their personalities in a public space. They search for information, learn and play games. As one girl put it, ‘If I lose my BB, it’s my life’. She was referring to her Black Berry. But young people might also send and receive hurtful or dangerous messages and images. They may be targeted by others with ill intent.

Technology opens up exciting new opportunities, but just as in driving a car - another freedom which technology offers – there are risks. Adults impart road rules to children, but a large proportion of adults do not understand the online or mobile phone world of young people – and a few do not understand any aspect of the digital world. This makes them ill equipped to teach children about e-safety or Cyberbullying. This is a form of bullying that no parent or teacher can have experienced when they were young, unlike real world bullying.

One of the challenges we face therefore, is not only to educate young people in e-safety but also to educate their parents and often, their teachers too. In a 2009 poll by the Anti- Bullying Alliance (ABA) 54% of parents of 8-14 year olds had not talked to their child about how they could protect themselves or deal with Cyberbullying. Indeed 45% of these parents did not know about the ‘report abuse’ button on social networking sites. Despite this, 23% allowed their children aged 10 or under, unsupervised Internet access at home and 38% allowed children aged 10 or under to have their own mobile phone.

If parents believe Cyberbullying does not happen to their young children, they might be distressed to find that one in five of year 6 primary school pupils surveyed by the ABA in 2009 had been cyberbullied in the last twelve months. This excludes other dangers such as solicitation, harassment and problematic content which their child might inadvertently access.

While new technology has revolutionised young people’s social networks - being fun, cheap, convenient, instant and above all desirable – there is much to learn about the less positive ways it might be used and how we might help them protect themselves.

What type of Cyberbullying is seen?

There are a number of methods of Cyberbullying another person and these methods change and become more sophisticated each time there are new models, games or sites launched. A few are outlined below:

+ Text message bullying - messages via text that contain threats, harassment, insults or hurtful content including photos. Texts can also be used to spread rumours, set up victims for humiliation and to share information about someone.

+ Picture/video clip bullying via mobile phone cameras

Using photos taken on a phone to hurt or humiliate someone, with the images usually sent to several other people. ‘Happy slapping’ involves filming and sharing physical attacks. Intimate photos from a relationship are often misused after friends fall out.

+ Phone call bullying via mobile phone – silent calls or abusive messages are often used, with the caller disguising their number or using someone else’s phone. The bullied person’s phone may be stolen and used to harass others, who then think the phone owner is responsible.

+ Email bullying - bullying or threatening emails, with or without images, but often with an invented pseudonym or using someone else’s name and email account to avoid discovery.

+ Chat room bullying – when children or young people are in a web-based chat room they may feel they are among friends. It is especially hurtful and embarrassing to receive menacing or upsetting responses in this public forum.

+ Bullying through Instant Messaging (IM) - unpleasant or threatening messages sent in real time, online conversations. Some games also permit messaging.

+ Bullying via websites includes – defamatory blogs, websites set up to humiliate someone (may use images) and online personal polling sites.

+ Social Networking sites – The Essex Cybersurvey carried out with 1452 respondents in the spring of 2010 found that 76% of young people aged 10 -16+ had a Facebook page or used another social networking site. Age 12-13 is the largest age group in the sample and Facebook is meant to be for 13 year olds upwards. These sites allow users to seek, admit and reject friends in the glare of public view. Blocking someone on a social networking site is a common form of bullying. Rumour spreading via friends or posting malicious comments are frequently used.

+ Using someone else’s account or phone – disguising identity by using a computer at a friend’s house, stealing a phone or simply using it for a few minutes to send a bullying message that may get someone else into trouble.

+ Via electronic games – Hacking into someone’s account or score to alter it or using a game box to send messages.

Link to report - http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/PDF/Essex_cybersurvey_final%20report.pdf