The Consequences And Effects Of Cyberbullying And Social Media

As the world becomes more and more technologically advanced, cyberbullying has become a growing issue. It is an issue not just for teens and kids but even adults. Most cyberbullying occurs through social media, which in this world of technological communication, is a must for the youth to “be cool.” Although social media and others sources may be used beneficially (business-wise) it may also be used abusively, which is where cyberbullying plays in.

“Cyberbullying is reported as an aggressive, intentional act distributed by an individual group, using contact in an electronic medium, continuously and relentlessly against someone who cannot stand up for himself or herself easily (Smith et al., 2008).” In 2009 cyberbullying was found as a disproportion

The first is consequences to one’s health. The second being the economic consequences. The consequences to health, as mentioned before, refer to the mental, psychological and sociological damages that may occur within the victim of cyberbullying attacks. These damages cause the victim to feel alone and unwanted, which leads to thoughts of suicide. As the victim constantly thinks about suicide they fear the stability of his or her safety. And as he or she ponders upon the idea with the constant virtual threats and comments, the victim tries to attempt suicide. The second consequence, which is the economic consequence, comes with indirect and direct impacts. It creates a loss of productivity, which causes a lower outcome in what is being produced. For example, if a student who was being cyber-bullied develops depression, he or she may decide to start cutting classes. This then causes the student not to acquire as much knowledge as he or she would if he or she wasn’t being bullied. And as for the bully, he or she would be wasting more time targeting his or her victim and inflicting harm virtually than he or she probably would spend paying attention in class. School faculty and staff are thus prioritized with anti-bullying assemblies and trying to solve cyberbullying issues which, in turn, causes diverting from their pre-determined curriculum, which leads to less productivity as school administrators attempt to cut or eliminate the growing