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Essay / Cyberbullying: A Growing Problem - 2506
Bullying has been around forever, but with today's technology, bullying has become easier than ever. It is easier to bully in cyberspace than to bully in person. With cyberbullying, a bully can prey on people with much less risk of being caught. Bullies are natural instigators, and in cyberspace they can recruit the participation of additional students who may not be willing to bully in the real world. Cyberbullying is any harassment that occurs on the Internet. Vicious chat messages, name calling in chat rooms, posting fake profiles on websites, and cruel email messages are all ways of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be more serious than conventional bullying. At least in the case of conventional harassment, the victim is left alone in the evenings and weekends. Many people may think that cyberbullying is not a problem in life; well, think again, it can change a victim's life forever by just one offensive comment about them. This will make the victim want to commit suicide, drop out of school, and suffer from self-esteem issues like depression and anxiety. We must fight for what is right, the sooner the better. The transition to the digital age has changed the behavior and interactions of minors and it is time for our culture to rethink its relationship with the Web and social networks. Cyberbullying is an old concept in a new world. Before the advent of the Internet, bullying involved socially engaged children and adolescents who picked on their friends and other children on the schoolyard. Traditional discipline included detentions, phone calls to their parents, and some sort of reconciliation between the children involved. Today, however, the bully atmosphere has changed dramatically and the risk-reward balance has become significant...... middle of paper ......." Teaching Tolerance. Southern Poverty Law Center, 2014 . Web. January 31, 2015. Medina, Jennifer. “In Person or in Pixels, It's Still Bullying” New York Times February 13, 2014: 7. Academic Research Completed January 31, 2015. Technological bullying may be on the rise. " USA Today nd: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. January 31, 2015. Willard, Nancy E., Cyberbullying and Cyber Threats: Meeting the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress. Champaign: Research Press, 2007. Print. Zickuhr, Kathryn "Defining Generations | Pew Internet & American Life Project." Internet & American Life Project of the Pew Research Center. December 16, 2012. Web. January 31.. 2015..