Cyberbullying and E-Safety: What Educators and other Professionals Need to Know

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Cyberbullying has become an increasingly common trend but individual interpretation has made understanding its definition sometimes confusing and unclear. Cyberbullying is defined as torment, harassment, intimidation or pressure that is applied to an individual that takes place by using new media. “We use the term new media to describe a media ecology where more traditional media, such as books, television, and radio are converging with digital media, specifically interactive media and media for social communication” (Ito et al., 2009). Common equipment used by offenders can be devices such as computers, cell phones, tablets; any technology that allows for communication. New Media has influenced cyberbullying to become an increasing and dangerous problem. Prevention and education are necessary in order to effectively respond and address the issue.
Stopbullying.gov (n.d.) explains cyberbullying further: “Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles”. The occurrence of cyberbullying is at an all-time high because of the increased use of new media. The constant connected nature of technology allows cyberbullying acts to happen at any time. These new medias make it easy to take on the cyberbullying role. The convenience itself enables any curious individual to participate because of the effortless ability. “What makes cyberbullying so dangerous…is that anyone can practice it without having to confront the victim. You don’t have to be strong or fast, simply equipped with a cell phone or computer and a willingness to terrorize” (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2006). An additional element to defining a...

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...ty: What Educators and other Professionals Need to Know. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Kowalski, R., Limber, S., & Agatston, P. (2006). Cyberbullying: Bullying in the Digital Age (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Offline Consequences of Online Victimization: School Violence and Delinquency. (2013). Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://cyberbullying.us/offline-consequences-of-online-victimization-school-violence-and-delinquency/
Patchin, J. (2012). School Climate and Cyberbullying: An Empirical Link. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://cyberbullying.us/school-climate-and-cyberbullying-an-empirical-link/
STOP Cyberbullying. (n.d.). STOP Cyberbullying. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html
Varnelis, K. (2008). Networked Publics. Cambridge: MIT Press.

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