The Role Of Cyberbullying In The 21st Century

America in the 21st century has changed a significant amount over the course of twenty years. From the introduction of cell phones, to the ability to access the internet from anywhere in the world, human technology is more modern and advanced than ever before. But, with these new technologies comes ways to take advantage of them and misuse them. Whether behind a computer screen at home or on a mobile device at school, teenagers use these electronics as a tool for bullying. The term “Cyberbullying” is described as “aggressive, intentional, repeated acts using mobile phones, computers (including emails and Facebook), or other electronic media against victims who cannot easily defend themselves” (Reinberg 1). These victims are vulnerable at any

America has transformed itself over the past fifty years into a new age of electronics and technology. Unlike the regular bully that harasses you at school, Cyberbullies have access to every person they want because of the amount of teens that own a cellphone, and use applications like Yik Yak, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. It is easy for these Cyberbullies to pester and harass a victim constantly because they have all they’ll need right in front of them; they are playing god in a sense. They don’t have to talk, but only lift a finger and still bring an unsuspecting teen crashing down along with his feelings. Hate messages can be sent through text messages, pictures, or videos; Cyberbullies will do anything it takes to deprive their victim of their pride and dignity. Naheed Rajwani adds that “Yik Yak is free, along with Ask.fm and Snapchat that are also used to bully and malign others. Cyberbullies, in reality, can bully for free” (Rajwani 1). Applications like the Play Store and App Store are playgrounds for Cyberbullies because they get to choose what social media site they want to bully on and download it. Everything the bully needs is at his or her fingertips, and as the years roll on, technology will become more advanced that it will become even easier for Cyberbullies, and will leave more teens falling to the floor at the hands of the bully.

According to the Health Researching Fund, three million teens are absent from school each month because they fear bullies. Attending classes becomes increasingly harder to do, since a teenager’s Cyberbully could be in one of their classes, waiting to pick on them in school too. Brenden McCarthy reports that “When the threat of physical harm is the motive of Cyberbullying or any other online communication, it’s criminal” (McCarthy 2). It is indescribable how painful these online attacks can be, and nobody really knows the true feeling of being powerless until being planted at the other end of a Cyberbully. There is not just mental pain, but physical pain brought onto some victims, which is why Cyberbullying is criminal, and should be taken very seriously. The Cyberbullies words are like bullets; each one damaging its victim in every way possible, in every aspect. These harsh comments follow the victims everywhere they go, and affect every part of their life. Performance at school decreases due to a lack in motivation, the victim will lose sight of their family and want to be alone, they don’t want friends around, and they just want it to stop. The effects of being Cyberbullied put a damper on a teenager’s everyday life, and can suffocate them until they are left