Bullying

In an article about cyber bullying, Vaisman says, "Unfortunately, the social revolution is not all about positive connections to the world." On Facebook, and many other social networking sites, users often experience online bullying, which is also referred to as cyber bullying. Since Facebook is said to have privacy issues, everything a user posts can become public, and it is possible that any of it could be used against them in some way (Perez). According to Perez, about ten percent of the user population on Facebook is kids who are ages 17 years-old and younger. These kids have had to learn the hard way that they should not post everything that comes to their mind. Perez says, "And unfortunately, they learn that, just like in the real world, not everyone is going to play nice." The number of victims of cyberbullying has increased since the growth of Facebook and other technologies. 20 percent of 11 to 18 year-old students have been victims of cyber bullying; about 20 percent have also admitted to cyber bullying others (Hinuja). An interviewee explained how bullying another through Facebook can be considered more convenient, "Some people will tease and ridicule someone online even more easily than they would in person"(Southall).




http://www.cyberbullying.us/research.php

 

Cyber bullying can cause any victim to experience many negative effects. These can include depression, lack of confidence, low self-esteem, family problems, academic issues, and frustration (Hinuja). Vaisman explains some other effects of cyber bullying, "A New York student is suing former classmates, their parents, and Facebook for $3 million, claiming they used the social networking site to bully her."
For more statistics about cyberbullying, visit http://cyberbullying.us/