The 21st century has witnessed the transformation of the connotation of the word submit, from the simple passing of an object to another person to the digitalization of the act, as can now mean the uploading of thoughts in the intricate world wide web, making possible the making known of such thoughts to a wide audience, particularly the netizens. 

            With such digitalization of real-world actions particularly communication, everything that we say is transposable online, and with this includes the statement of our opinions and commentaries on things that are also online. Oftentimes, we hold very strong opinions against others that we express these adverse attitudes against another person’s online representation, such as his or her avatar online, postings and general online demeanor, which can escalate to the phenomenon we know as cyber bullying.

            Like its offline counterpart, cyber bullying takes a wide range of forms, from bullying that is centric on the person bullied by virtue of personal hatred, to the more general bullying because the bullied person fits an online archetype, such as people who use leet speak and avatars that feature low-class clothing, identified locally by the subculture of the jejemon. Treated by disgust by most Filipino netizens, the phenomenon transcends cyber bullying because it involves hatred towards a specific social class, or those who belong to the lower social classes, evidence of the internet’s identity as ideological state apparatus that favors the middle class upward, and it’s capability to be permit crimes that will normally get penalized if done in the real world.

            The anonymity promised by cyber bullying naturally is an enticing reason to commit it, and more people are falling prey to such act. I myself had been quite a victim of such online crime. It happened when I was in high school, during the intramurals. As the tension among the classes grew, all hell broke loose as my section was pit in against another section, because of an online invitation in Facebook that was made public, for all the class to see, also an indicator of the need to be careful before submitting a message for the internet is more capable of being breached than real life correspondence.

           Nevertheless, like its online counterpart as well, cyber bullying can have grave and detrimental effects to those victimized, such as the case of Megan Meier in Submit, the documentary shown in class. The case is a paragon because it shows that cyber bullying can lead to extremes, such as the commission of suicide of the victimized. To the cyber bully, the act may have been taken lightly, but to the victim, the effect is damaging, particularly the breakdown of the ego and the hurt caused by the act, ultimately leading to the loss of life.

            In the local context, cyber bullying has implications on the recent passage of the cyber crime law. Such may mean that the previous hard to punish acts of cyber bullying may now be sanctioned by the state. However, amidst all the possible cases that will be filed, the passage is bombarded on both sides by its chilling effect, and the cyber crimes committed. Implications call for the reliable indicators that can say that a cyber bullying has been committed, as such may become an opportunity for the wrong accusation of the act on certain people.

            Cyber bullying, in the end, is a condemnable act that is worthy of punishment because of the detrimental effects that is imprinted on the victims. Using as example Submit’s hashtag campagn #NoBystanders, it can be seen that resolution to the problem begins in the virtual world before being transposed again offline thru the exercise of law, for by being responsible netizens and by looking out for each other online just as how we do online, the act may be  brought to justice, and the loss of lives prevented. 

MANALESE, Kevin John C.

2010-17726