The Influence Of Cyber Bullying

Have you ever been bullied as a child? Do you remember the resentment, aggrieved and frustrated feelings afterwards? If you should see another child getting bullied, would you report or ignore it? The freedom that technology affords young adolescents enables them to mingle in a variety of ways allowing for expression of themselves. At its finest, the web offers a productive and enlightening experience, one in which young adolescents are grasping with competence and eagerness. However, at its worst, the internet can portray absurd imagery and behaviors. Raskauskas and Stoltz (2007) defines cyber bullying as a means of indirect aggression in which peers use electronics to taunt, insult , threaten, harass and or intimidate another peer. Cyber

Rosenberg cited in Patchin & Hinduja, 2010, 80(12), pp.614-621 that self esteem is a favorable or unfavorable attitude towards self. It encompasses internal idealization of societal reaction or acceptance with a benchmark overseeing the degree to which that individual is accepted or excluded by said society. This definition underscores the fact that self esteem is a perception - a belief towards one's personal value, it can then be affected by one's participation in society, where interpersonal conflicts mat lead to behaviors such as cyber bullying. Studies done among approximately 2,000 randomly selected middle - schoolers from one of the largest district in the United States of America reported that victims of cyber bullying have significantly lower levels of self esteem compared to persons not having experienced such victimization. The exact reasoning for this relationship is however unclear. It is not certain whether one's self esteem decreases as a result of being bullied or if it is whether a person suffering from low self esteem is more likely to being bullied. It however should be noted that a negative relationship exists between low self esteem and cyber bullying. Interestedly, reports have found evidence suggesting that cyber bullies tend to have both lower and higher self esteem than non bullies. (Patchin & Hinduja, 2010). The research found no significant difference between

One such mechanism results in distrust of others. Continuous cyber bullying fosters changes in young adults’ such as displaying antisocial behaviors, increase in social isolation resulting in withdrawal from friends and family members and them becoming insecure. Victims of cyber bullying are more likely to be distrustful of others since attackers remain anonymous, hence fostering feelings of inadequacies and anxiety that tends to remain. The paranoia that develops isolates them further. Kowalski, Limber & Agatson (2012) research suggest that the perpetrators of cyber bullying shared feelings of gratification and or revenge as motivations for their actions. Offenders tend to act out their fantasies. In extreme cases, bullying can become disastrous for teenagers, resulting in long term consequences. Teenagers feel forced to protect themselves by carrying weapons for protection or seek revenge. Although the internet has become an excellent environment for ideas and thoughts, it has become a common ground for cacophony of misery. Society need to comprehend the necessity of countering the dilemma of cyber bullying head on, before it advances and other issues