Technology and Bullying
There is no doubt that technology has changed our society. Now things are faster, easier, and more efficient than ever before. With all these changes, bullying has been impacted in a positive and negative way. Although technology has given victims of bullying an outlet to complete education without going to school, technology has made it easier for bullying to happen on anonymous apps and social media sites.
Online education in the twenty-first century is very prevalent. Not only can you receive a college degree online, but now there is the opportunity for children kindergarten through twelfth grade, to stay at home and complete courses online. One parent thought this would be the best decision for her daughter, Kelsey Hooten, who was being bullied everyday in school by her classmates. Kelsey is now enrolled in “a charter school affiliated with the national education company K12” (Pant 8). Because of the technological advancements made with video chats, computers and education students everywhere are able to be continue schooling with online teachers. Kelsey was able to escape the public school at which she was being bullied and her mother said that “the change in her personality was almost immediate” (Pant 64). By giving kids the ability to escape from the torments of bullying, the victims’ world changes. The effects of bullying can sometimes be physical, but they are also psychological. Studies have shown that victims of bullying are more likely to become violent, depressed or have anxiety issues. In addition, there is the possibility of neurological scarring. This would result from the traumatic experiences of bullying, such as harassment, ostracization, or physical abuse. The scarred tissue wou...
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...fits, but there will always be flaws within the system in which society will need to fix to help improve the lives of its users.
Works Cited
Anthes, Emily. "Inside the Bullied Brain." Boston Globe. 28 Nov. 2010: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Banks, Sandy. "Internet Intensifies Bullying." Los Angeles Times. 22 Oct. 2013: A.2. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Jayson, Sharon. "Technology Can Push Our Crazy Buttons, Rewire Brains." USA Today [New York] 26 Mar 2012, n. pag. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Kang, Cecilia. "Apps Feed Teens' Yen for Online Anonymity." Washington Post. 17 Feb. 2014: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Pant, Meagan. "More Students Switch to Online Schools to Escape Bullies." McClatchy - Tribune Business News. 01 Dec. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
.... Victims of direct, indirect, and cyber-bullying have an entirely new gamut of bullying to cope with, and are forced to manage their emotions in this same public arena as well. Teenagers are finding it difficult to escape or remove themselves from such public harassment, and in response, suicide is increasingly the outcome with many adolescents gravitating toward suicide pacts as well. Unfortunately, technology is not always a beautiful advance, ultimate luxury or everyday convenience. Technology has indeed aided and contributed to the demise of many. It will be of no miraculous wonder should this next decade see a dramatic swing in the cause of teenage suicide from depression and drugs to bullying. The author of the age-old proverb of “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” obviously never had such words plastered on Facebook.
Parikh, Rahul. "The Dangers for Teens Online Are Exaggerated." Policing the Internet. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Our Overblown Paranoia About the Internet and Teens." Salon. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 May 2014.
Cloud, John. "Bullied To Death?." Time 176.16 (2010): 60-63. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2014
Traditional bullying that used to occur commonly on school-grounds has now been over shadowed by harassment through the Internet and other technology related devices. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary “cyber bullying” is defined as ...
In her article “How the Internet Has Changed Bullying”, Maria Konnikova explained how bullying has reached technology, and in the workplaces of many adults. The Internet has made it harder to escape from bullying, and easier for bullies to escape from confronting their victims. Furthermore, the author stresses that cyberbullying not only targets high schoolers, but it’s affecting the lives of college students as well (Konnikova 1). Cyberbullying takes place in the Internet world where is easier for a bully to gossip and humiliate multiple of victims in a faster pace. The studies have shown that cyberbullying is making a greater impact in the victims’ and the bullies’ lives more than the traditional bullying and many people are not aware of it; therefore the schools, witnesses, and employers should work together to fight against cyberbullying and provide help to the victims and bullies.
Bullying has been a part of schooling for as long as children have been congregating. To some it seems like a natural, though uncomfortable, part of life and school experience, while to others it can mean terrifying experiences which spoiled and characterized otherwise happy years in school. Dan Olweus, a pioneer in bully behavior research documented that 2.7 million children are affected as victims, and that 2.1 children act as bullies (Fried, 1997, as cited in Aluedse, 2006). With bullying cited as the reason for violent, gun-related crime in the past few years, school districts as well as national governments have put anti-bullying policies in place. Bullying is a complicated phenomenon, involving more than one child demanding lunch money from a smaller child. It is a worldwide epidemic hitting schools everywhere. Virtually everyone has seen or experienced bullying. With technological advances, bullying is even hitting the internet. Parents, teachers, students and governments agencies alike are attempting to put a stop to bullying practices.
Perry, Bruce D. "Being the Bully." Scholastic Scope, 10 Oct. 2000. eLibrary. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
Bullying is a growing concern in a society where status and exercising power over another human being are increasingly important in developing one’s social circles. Dan Olweus (Norwegian researcher and founder of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program) defines it as an “aggressive behaviour that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power. Most often, it is repeated over time” (Violencepreventionworks.org). School victimization is an especially delicate matter that has only really been in the public eye for the past half century, as more and more researchers and psychologists pointed out its short- and long-term negative effects on targeted individuals. It has since been widely investigated and numerous programs have been developed in an effort to address and prevent the many forms of bullying that exist today. The negative effects of such an abusive behaviour are various and can greatly differ from individual to individual. However, there are three main consequences that can be associated with school bullying, which are: school avoidance, depression/anxiety and even suicidal attempts.
As we are living in the age of technology, we are seeing our youth being victimized by a new phenomenon of bullying, called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is defined as the use of information and communication technologies such as email, cell phones and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, and defamatory online personal polling Web sites, to support deliberate repeated and hostile behavior by an individual or group, which is intended to harm others. Cyberbullying can also employ media such as PDAs, blogs, and social networks (Beckstrom, 2008). This form of bullying is progressive because it can happen instantly due to the technology involved, whereas traditional bullying tends to take longer to evolve and happens
Technology seems to be blamed often for the issues of bullying. In my opinion, technology
McQuade, III, Samuel, James Colt, and Nancy Meyer. Cyber Bullying: Protecting Kids and Adults from Online Bullies. First Edition. Road West, Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2009. 47-49. Print.
Woodard, Michelynn. "There are more ways to bully these days: it can come from online, and via social media." Variety Winter 2013: 9. Educators Reference Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
Bullying has always been present within the United States. Although the issue has been around for a long time, it continues to grow and become more of problem. It is said that about 160,000 children within the United States are refusing to go to school because of bullying. Another statistic is that within American schools alone, there are an estimated 2.1 billion bullies and 2.7 billion victims (Dan Olewus, MBNBD). The numbers presented here are outrageous and although there are organizations to stop bullying, obviously there needs to be a new set of solutions. Any type of bullying presents problems to children, “Suicide, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, trouble with the law, poor performance in school and work, and lack of involvement in socially accepted activities are some of the difficulties resulting from bullying (Austin, Reynolds, Barnes, Shirley). Of course, there is more than just a single type of bullying. Feeding ground for bullies can range anywhere from text-message or cyberbullying to physical bullying in schools. Also, bullies can begin to strike at a young age and could also be; teenage, middle-age, or even the elderly. Even though there are these many versions of problematic bullies, the largest bullying problems take place within the school setting: a place that is supposed to be safe for children rather than harmful. Although it seems impossible to completely get rid of bullying, these are a few suggested solutions; making the school informed on bullying issues, schools implementing rules on bullying, and having students positively use electronics to stop bullying.
Educators attempt to provide safe, nurturing environments where students can thrive. Any disturbance to this climate can have negative affects on students’ educational performances. Bullying is one such disruption. Unfortunately, physical and verbal abuse are nothing new in the school setting, however, the rise of technology in our country has created a new setting for bullies to target their victims. Cyberbulling, or the use of any number of technological means to harm or harass another, has become an increasingly prevalent occurrence, specifically among school-aged children (Campfield, 2006).
Swartz, J. (2005, March 7). Schoolyard bullies get nastier online. Retrieved April 1, 2005 from http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-03-06-cover-cyberbullies_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA