Foxman On Cyberbullying

1073 Words3 Pages

Due to the advancements of technology, social media is becoming a routine part of our daily lives. It comes as no surprise that Becky calling you an expletive online hurts your feelings in the real word. The rate of cyberbullying grew proportionately in regards to electronic communication’s advancement. It is due to this, that multiple people began questioning whether social media is to blame for the notable increased occurrence of cyberbullying, sparking fierce debates. Cyberbullying is a social phenomenon that appears to have no clear instigator, but according to directors of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman and Cyndi Silverman, the blame falls toward social media sites and its “dark underbelly”. While Foxman and Silverman argue …show more content…

Both authors develop valuable arguments that differ drastically, but the solution lies in the cultivation of the future.
In their joint essay, Social Networking Sites Can Be Forums for Cyberbullying, authors Abraham Foxman and Cyndi Silverman claim that the internet has become a tool that bigots and Anti-Semites in particular wield with the intention of spreading hatred. Although the reference is slightly outdated, its relevance is still prominent today. While the subject matter is if social media is the culprit, the authors zero in on the consequences and measures lawmakers should take to prevent aforementioned consequences from occurring. We see this specifically in the last sentence of their essay, “We must act now to ensure that those who would engage in harassment or bullying – whether on the street or in cyberspace – will face real-world consequences for their actions” (Foxman and Silverman). What’s so …show more content…

In Kate Harding’s essay, Social Networking Sites Cannot Be Blamed for Bullying, she focuses on deflecting the accusations made against social media all while stating that a bully is a bully no matter the circumstances. In particular Harding references a report that claims Facebook was considered the common denominator in regards to a cafeteria fight. Harding repudiates the claim almost immediately in the following paragraph by stating that there are numerous other factors that could have caused the fight, despite the fight’s origin stemming from a post on a particular child’s Facebook wall. Although it is not explicitly stated, Harding is clearly displeased that social media has been made the scapegoat. Being a blogger for Shapely Prose and a frequent contributor on Salon.com; there is a hint of bias as her work tends to revolve around social media and the internet itself. Harding’s language and use of words while she is countering Facebook’s slander shows how emotionally invested she is in the matter, justifying said bias. “Just as Facebook is not causing the death of genuine friendship, it is also not causing the birth of high school enemies,” Harding emphasizes. Granted, the claim she made was designed to end all arguments vilifying social media, its context contradicts itself. By claiming Facebook does not bring about the end of genuine friendship directly implies that some friendships made on Facebook are very much

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