In my opinion, bullying has become more and more prominent due to the availability of the Internet and cell phones. Electronic bullying, or “cyber bullying,” is the use of any electronic device to intentionally and consistently make fun of, ridicule, or spread rumors about an individual. It is mostly seen in text, picture, and video messages from cell phones, or messages, pictures, and videos on social networking sites like Facebook.

Cyber bullying is a very dangerous form of bullying for several reasons:

There is no longer a safe haven for youth – Back in the day when the Internet and cell phones were not as available as it is today, a home – family, friend, or otherwise – could be used as a plausible escape from aggressors. Now, thanks to the availability of the Internet and cell phones, bullying happens 24/7/365, and most of the time, victims cannot escape it.

It has removed the chance for immediate confrontation – If a bully were to approach someone in a school and begin calling him or her names, there is a chance for the victim to do something about it in the moment. With cyber bullying, oftentimes youth don’t even know who the bully is. Anonymity can hide the perpetrator from their actions, leading to the bully never being identified. Because of this, victims cannot confront their aggressors.

The bystanding audience is much larger – When you have peers watching you being bullied at school, it’s bad enough. An act of cyber bullying has the chance of attracting a large bystanding audience. If the picture, message, or video reaches the information superhighway, the whole world can see it. And, sometimes, that information is there forever.

Picture By zharth

By JP Butler