Cyber-bullying. How do we stop it?
Image: Social Media Monitors (2014)
With the infiltration of networked technologies into our everyday life, the relatively new phenomenon of âcyber bullyingâ has become inescapable. Danah boyd (2014) highlights an interesting notion âthat technology simply offers a new site for bullyingâ and that these social media sites are simply increasing the âvisibility of bullyingâ (boyd 2014, pg. 132). Boyd goes on to say that âthere is little doubt that networked technologies can increase the potential audience size of witnesses, but it's not clear that the contours of bullying or the impact it has on those involved has radically changedâ (boyd, 2014 pg.133). Having said this, I think its important to also note, that it means that through technology, bullying is far-reaching ad simply changing schools cannot stop the bullies from reaching you. Before such technology, changing schools would have significantly reduced the bullyâs ability to bully you, whereas now with this technology, they can âfind you anywhereâ. Therefore cyber-bullying has no real limit in terms of geographical location.
 With an increasing amount of horror stories, many of which have resulted in self-harm or suicide of the victims, it has become more and more important that education on how to deal with this sad reality is provided to not only teachers and parents, but also children â both the bullies and the victims. There are many facets to online bullying and many ways to be bullied online. In order to educate the public and try to combat cyber bullying in Australia, the Australian government has created the âcyber smartâ website aimed to educate all Australian about bullying as it is âdesigned to support and encourage participation in the digital economy by providing information and education which empowers children to be safe onlineâ (Cyber smart, 2015). The site covers aspects such as cyber bullying, sexting, trolling and identity theft to name a few. I think it is a great initiative, but I question how successful the program actual is, as prior to this I had never even heard of the website or initiative.
  I think it is important to note that cyber-bullying does not just affect school children and young adults; it also affects âgrownâ adults and even celebrities. April reamer is the wife of a successful hockey player in Canada and has been bullied because fans of the hockey team thought that her husband was performing poorly, and thought the best way to react to his performance was to bully his wife over twitter. Makes sense right? (Wyshynski, 2015). Rather than defend herself through twitter and stoop to their level and retaliate, Reimer started an anti-bullying campaign to raise awareness and show support to others. Â
 I believe that bullying will be an ever-present facet of life, and therefore society has to work hard to educate everyone and support those who are more vulnerable. Implementation of laws surrounding bullying in all forms is a must, and those who bully should be accountable for their actions and the harm that they cause.
 Boyd, D 2014, âBullying: Is the Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty?â, in Itâs Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA, pp 128-52.
Cybersmart 2015, viewed 11 January 2015, <http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/>.
Wyshynski, G, 2015 âApril Reimer starts anti-cyberbullying campaign after online harassmentâ, Yahoo! Sports, viewed 11 January 2015, <http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/april-reimer-starts-anti-cyberbullying-campaign-after-online-harassment-155953048.html>
Cyber-bullying poster, 2014, [image], Social Media Monitors, viewed 11 January 2015, < http://www.socialmediamonitors.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/cyber-bullying-poster.jpg>