Mitchell Levin
Assignment 1 Labor Log:
- In the introduction, I was more clear. I stated why social media is so popular and began explaining the negatives that apply to it including cyberbullying. I stopped trying to repeat information as much and instead found useful information for quotes and created relevance for the topic of harms of cyberbullying and how the two artifacts show that.
- I organized the essay by including citation on quotes. In the introduction, I clearly stated the social artifacts I would be writing about and how they relate to being a modern social zeitgeist. I included more back-up information for the artifacts and deleted parts of the essay that didn’t belong there. I stopped trying to personally analyze Jamie Foxx’s lyrics for artifact 2 and used information about his lyrics to make claims.
- I updated the summary of my artifact 1 and for artifact 2 added and deleted information meant to back-up the quotes from the song to make the artifact more relevant in talking about how cyberbullying is a social zeitgeist and is very harmful to people’s mental health. Also. I included a brief description of each social artifact in the introduction. For the song, I included information about the lyrics and his tone while singing to better analyze his words and how the song relates to catfishing.
I think I deserve the points for assignment 1 because I was more relevant about how my artifacts relate to the harms of cyber bullying and being a social zeitgeist. I also deleted unneeded information from the essay and instead included better evidence to create claims about quotes I included. For Artifact 2, Jamie Foxx’s song “Digital Girl” I removed unnecessary quotes and included ones that better support my claim about catfishing and it being apart of the modern era. I also provided the citation for all the quotes I have included. All in all, I think I improved wording in my essay to make it more organized and clear for the reader, and I think the revision tasks helped me accomplish that goal.
Before Revising Assignment 1:
The rise of the tech generation has brought many advancements in communication. Nowadays we can all keep up with each other by simply pressing a button on our cell phones. We can post pictures and give or receive reinforcement for posts. All the positive reinforcement gets people addicted to social media. Most people check social media daily but fail to see the negatives that it brings towards their own mental health. People can be victimized through the use of social media by the means of cyberbullying and catfishing. Bullying is not an unheard issue; most people have been bullies or have been bullied at one point in their lives, Cyberbullying allows bullies to continue their hate when their victims come home through the social media platforms people claim to love so much. Along with cyberbullying, there are numerous other ways to harass people through the means of social media. Catfishing is the act of not revealing one’s true self over social media. People can look normal by their posts but one can never be too sure of who is behind their account.
Cyberbullying is a serious issue for many teens and is done through the use of social media. Being bullied is never a good thing, but cyberbullying allows people to victimize people at home over a screen, which in some ways can be worse. The movie “Cyberbully” depicts the life of a teenage girl and the effect of cyberbullying on her life. The movie begins with a girl, Taylor, receiving a laptop for her birthday which she then uses to create a social media account. Her brother, as a practical joke goes on her account and posts a comment saying “Im a naughty girl; someone should spank me.” which isn’t revealed till later in the movie. Taylor gets a bunch of nasty comments from people calling her a whore or a slut. She attempts to tell people and her friends that she didn’t send that comment but nobody really believed her. Later on, a boy on social media stands up for Taylor and she develops a crush on him. The boy manipulated her and then spreads rumors that she slept with him. At that point Taylor’s friends start turning on her. Taylor finds out that her brother sent the comment in the beginning and that her friend created a fake account of the boy who stood up for her and she is flooded with depression and attempts suicide by overdose. Luckily her friend saw her suicide tape live and came over right on time to stop the suicide from happening.
Cyberbullying is a big problem and affects many people in devastating ways as portrayed by the movie. It can come in many forms from sexual harassment to death threats but regardless it can be terrifying for many people. People should never have to be scared when in public due to a bully let alone at home being terrorized over the very source of communication we cherish. It is completely illogical. Cyberbullying affects people in different ways, some worse than others. Many people develop stress disorders, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal thoughts due to digital harassment and is something I believe should never have to happen to any person.
The song “Digital Girl” by Jamie Foxx depicts the negative effect of social media on people’s social skills as well as trusting people through social media. The song is about socializing with a girl over social media. He incorporates the following line in the song, “I wanna see whats under there there now put it in the air, Yeah load it on my Macbook air”. This line reveals how the protagonist is dependent on social media for social contact with a girl he likes. He has the urge to constantly text her and be in contact before even meeting in person, which demonstrates how socializing is being transformed and also diminishes socialization with face to face encounters. Jamie Foxx also used the line, “I hear the way the text say, Baby you up, Question mark, And she respond yes sir”. The line from Jamie Foxx’s song shows how social media corrupted people’s lives and maybe changed interacting between people forever. The way he sings the song, using tone and pitch, shows his care for this female he associates with over social media, which makes it evident how social media contact can be addictive and seductive, which can deceive people into believing most of anything based of texts or a picture. This is what makes social media relationships so dangerous. People can’t possibly know if someone’s social media pictures are photographs of the person texting or a copy stolen from a flashy model on google used to entice people.
What Jamie Foxx incorporates in his song is a form of catfishing. He was in an intimate relationship with a girl he had never met in person, through social media. Based off his lyrics it seems he had serious affection for the girl he was talking with online. Although social media is good for making new connections and relationships, it can also be very dangerous. Being mislead by a person you seem to have a connection with over social media is not uncommon. It is far more simple to give false information about oneself over a phone than in person and is why many people use social media as a means to victimize people. Jamie Foxx shows that he fell in love with a girl over social media he hasn’t even met before, which is evident by the following lyrics. “I love you girl girl, You look right in the screen and take it off off, See I cant wait till I get a little taste of you, And I just upgraded to 10-80-I hi def just for you”. Foxx says he loves this girl and can’t wait to get a taste, which signifies he hasn’t met this woman yet. He then goes onto say that he will upgrade his cell phone to stream her pictures and videos in higher quality. This shows a level of obsession and seduction in play. He claims to love her but when he meets her she could be completely different. What Jamie Foxx sings about in “Digital Girl” is an example of catfishing.
Based on the song “Digital Girl” by Jamie Foxx, it is visible how relationships can begin through the use of social media which can be good for some people. However, not everyone on social media can be trusted like others. It can be very dangerous starting a connection with complete strangers who uploaded a picture that may or may not even be their actual face. Jamie Foxx shows in the song how he really didn’t know much about the girl, but he was still attached because she was showing affection. Many people can be lured in the same way but with different consequences, which portrays the negatives that social media may present.
Social media is statistically proven to be addictive. When people post on different social media outlets, they receive likes and comments which gives positive feedback for the poster. Actions on social media that are being consistently reinforced are likely to be repeated by the posters. Once a person has got the feel of getting positive feedback after a post, it becomes hard to stop. According to an article on MedicalNewsDaily by Honor Whiteman, a survey conducted by AnxietyUK concluded that 51% of the participants claimed that social media affected them negatively. Some people are living it up and posting their great experiences on social media, whilst others are having a nice relaxing day at home looking at their posts. It is rare to see someone post a terrible experience on social media and because people post themselves at their best, viewers may be disappointed with their lives. This is demonstrated by the following quote from the article. ‘“This problem has definitely gained recent attention,” says Dr. Rauch. “We know that many people on social media sites often present idealized versions of their lives, leading others to make upward social comparisons, which can lead to negative emotions.”’
Also, based on the information given in the previous text, it’s statistically proven that social media use causes anxiety, insomnia, and uncomfort when not connected. Another adverse effect of social media use is the negative impact on real life encounters for individuals suffering from stress before getting involved with social media. This is evident by the following quote. “Furthermore, the survey revealed that two thirds of participants reported difficulty relaxing and sleeping after they used the sites, while 55% said they felt “worried or uncomfortable” when they were unable to log onto their social media accounts.”
Although it doesn’t seem like a drastic issue but many kids on social media can experience cyber bullying. Based on the movie: “Cyberbully”, mentioned earlier it is evident that cyberbullying can cause major mental health issues including anxiety, and quite possibly suicidal thoughts and tendencies. The movie may not be a true life story but many events that occurred in the film actually occur in real life. Suicide as a result of bullying is not unheard of and social media allows bullying to follow people even when they are alone with only their cell phone. This is what makes social media so dangerous. It has become too easy in this modern technological era to harass people, because it can be done with a simple click of a button.
People use social media as a means to connect with people, and socialize and keep up with friends. However, they do not realize the devastating effects that social media inflicts on one’s mental health. Many people jump onto their social networking program to pass the time during times of boredom without taking in account how it affects themselves or other people. Social media impact can have many unfortunate effects on people such as depression or anxiety due to viewing other people’s posts that center a picture with only the positives of one’s life never the negatives, which creates the image that they have a perfect life which is most definitely untrue. Due to this, social media can lower people’s confidence and cause depression. Besides the negative health aspects of the use of social media there is also the social media harassment that comes into play. Cyberbullying, which includes sending threatening messages over social media, spreading rumors online, hacking into an account to post hurtful messages, pretending to be someone you’re not on social media (also known as catfishing), or posting provocative,or unpleasant pictures of someone else, is also a major impact on social media being a negative health issue. It is proven to lower self esteem, and make people act out of order in ways such as suicide, demonstrating aggression and acting out, and a slipping of grades. In the end social media seems to cause more problems than it fixes. Okay it cures boredom, but as a chain effect also creates insomnia and anxiety, therefore social media influence is mostly negative.
Assignment 1 Revised:
The rise of the tech generation has brought many advancements in communication. Nowadays we can all keep up with each other by simply pressing a button on our cell phones. We can post pictures and give or receive reinforcement for posts. All the positive reinforcement gets people addicted to social media. Most people check social media daily but fail to see the negatives that it brings towards their own mental health. Bullying has been around for quite a long period of time, however cyberbullying is something we can classify as part of the social era we reside in today. Cyberbullying can be called a zeitgeist of the modern day do to it being a common use of adolescents. Due to the advanced form of communication and interconnection, people have adapted to new ways of hurting one another through a more effective way of bullying. People can be victimized through the use of social media by means of cyber harassment and catfishing. Bullying is not an unheard issue; most people have bullied or have been bullied at one point in their lives, yet cyber bullying allows bullies to more effectively and discretely harass victims through the social media platforms people claim to love so much. Cyber bullying is a very loose term in that it can be made up of various factors and techniques that people have become accustomed to. Catfishing, exposing pictures or conversations, stalking, or malicious messaging are all apart of cyber bullying. Catfishing is the act of using a false account to mislead people and is portrayed in the song, “Digital Girl” by Jamie Foxx where he describes his online relationship with a girl who he truly knows nothing about. This arsenal is very effective in hurting people yet remaining undetected. This so-called arsenal is also noticeable in the film Cyberbully where the protagonist gets a series of malicious messages by a fake account, who tries to make the protagonist believe she is developing a relationship with this “catfisher”. People can look normal based on their pictures but one can never be too sure of who is behind their account as will be noticed by the two social artifacts.
Cyberbullying is a serious issue for many teens and is mainly done through the use of social media. Being bullied is one thing, but cyberbullying allows people to victimize people at home over a screen, which in many ways can be worse. The movie “Cyberbully” depicts the life of a teenage girl and the effect of cyberbullying on her life. The movie begins with a girl, Taylor, receiving a laptop for her birthday which she then uses to create a social media account. Her brother, as a practical joke goes on her account and posts a comment saying “Im a naughty girl; someone should spank me.” which isn’t revealed till later in the movie that her brother is behind the account. Taylor gets a bunch of nasty comments from people calling her a whore or a slut. She attempts to tell people and her friends that she didn’t send that comment but nobody really believed her. Later on, a boy on social media stands up for Taylor and she develops a crush on him. The boy manipulated her and then spreads rumors that she slept with him. At that point, Taylor’s friends start turning on her. Taylor finds out that her brother sent the comment in the beginning and that her friend created a fake account of the boy who stood up for her and she is flooded with depression and attempts suicide by overdose. Luckily her friend saw her suicide tape live and came over right on time to stop the suicide from happening. Although, the movie is with fictional characters, it depicts a true concept, cyberbullying, in the peak of its use. Cyberbullying is something millennials have become accustomed to. Many don’t even realize the pain they are causing by saying a few words or posting a picture, but the concept drawn from the film shows a real scenario that can occur to anyone given the right circumstances. The danger of this modern zeitgeist is immense, not uncommon, and must be stopped.
Cyberbullying is a major dilemma and affects many people in devastating ways as portrayed by the movie. It can come in many forms from sexual harassment to death threats but regardless it can be terrifying for many people. The film is vivid representation of a social zeitgeist in today’s society: cyber bullying, and how it affects people’s lives. The film demonstrates various forms of cyberbullying including malicious messages, exposing of personal social media content, and catfishing. The film demonstrates a social zeitgeist in the modern day, not only being cyber bullying but just millennial use and addiction to social media. Every student in the film is a user of social media and all give feedback for posts daily. This conveys an issue that can be seen in the modern day with real people. Social media addiction leads to cyber bullying. Bullying is not uncommon in grade school. Adding the factor of social media creates an extension on bullying and is a lot more intense and effective as clearly seen in the film when the students all begin using social media and get attached to it as they start using it on a daily basis.
The song “Digital Girl” by Jamie Foxx depicts the negative effect of social media on people’s social skills as well as trusting people through social media. The song is about socializing with a girl over social media. He incorporates the following lyric in the song, “I wanna see what’s under there there now put it in the air, Yeah load it on my Macbook air”. This line reveals how the protagonist is dependent on social media for social contact with a girl he likes. Jamie sings the following lyrics, “I’ll type you a message for the next send off, You shoot me a video and then I load, Even though I hate this distance it keeps me persistent”. Based off the lyric we can determine that he has the urge to constantly text her and be in contact before even meeting in person, which demonstrates how socializing is being transformed and also diminishes socialization with face to face encounters. Jamie Foxx also used the line, “I love you, girl, girl, You look right in the screen and take it off, off, See I can’t wait till I get a little taste of you, And I just upgraded to 10-80i, hi def just for you”. The line from Jamie Foxx’s song shows how he has serious affection for this unknown girl, and maybe even love. This is an unreal amount of emotion for a woman he has never met before. He deliberately changed his cellular platform to have a higher definition view of her on his digital screen. Which seems excessive for a digital relationship. It shows that social media corrupted people’s lives and maybe changed interacting between people forever. The way he sings the song, using tone and pitch, shows his care for this female he associates with over social media, which makes it evident how social media contact can be addictive and seductive, which can deceive people into believing most of anything based of texts or a picture. This is easily noticeable when listening to the following line in the song, “I love it girl, The way you bring your light into this room, I love it girl, The way you lace that up when you in them shoes, I love it girl, The way your lip looks after you apply the gloss, I love you girl girl”. This lyric from the song is sung with a high pitch and also sung slowly which is different with other lines in the song which are rap and faster paced. This signifies that the lyrics sung slowly is being stressed by the artist. It can be assumed that “Digital Girl” is a love song and about a woman he hasn’t met in person. Developing feelings for a person who you haven’t met can be very dangerous. It is a possibility that the girl is catfishing. Being that Jamie Foxx is a celebrity it is very possible that this person is talking to him on social media trying to get him to show affection for “her” to use his assets. This of course is not a fact about Jamie Foxx’s relationship due to the lack of evidence in the song but definitely a possible reality. This is what makes social media relationships so dangerous. People can’t possibly know if someone’s social media pictures are photographs of the person texting or a copy stolen from a flashy model on Google used to entice people.
What Jamie Foxx incorporates in his song is a form of catfishing. He was in an intimate relationship with a girl he had never met in person, through social media. Based on his lyrics it seems he had a serious affection for the girl he was talking with online. Although social media is good for making new connections and relationships, it is not 100% credible. Being mislead by a person you seem to have a connection with over social media is not uncommon. It is far more simple to give false information about oneself over phone than in person and is why many people use social media as a means to victimize people. Jamie Foxx shows that he fell in love with a girl over social media he hasn’t even met before, which is evident by the following lyrics. “I love you girl girl, You look right in the screen and take it off off, See I can’t wait till I get a little taste of you, And I just upgraded to 10-80-I hi def just for you”. Foxx says he loves this girl and can’t wait to get a taste, which signifies he hasn’t met this woman yet. He then goes onto say that he will upgrade his cell phone to stream her pictures and videos in higher quality. This shows a level of obsession and seduction in play. He claims to love her but when he meets her she could be completely different, possibly not even a female. What Jamie Foxx sings about in “Digital Girl” is an example of catfishing.
Based on the song “Digital Girl” by Jamie Foxx, it is visible how relationships can begin through the use of social media which can be good for people. However, not everyone on social media can be trusted like others. This represents a social zeitgeist of today’s society which is a part of cyber bullying called catfishing. During the song, Jamie Foxx describes how this internet persona of a woman is in a so-called relationship with him over social media, however not enough detail is in the song to understand if she is doing this for malicious reasons but it sets an example about the dangers of meeting people on the internet. Jamie Foxx shows in the song how he really didn’t know much about the girl, but he was still attached because she was showing affection back. Many people can be lured in the same way but with different consequences, which portrays the negatives that social media may present such as its addictiveness.
Social media is proven to be addictive. When people post on different social media outlets, they receive likes and comments which gives positive feedback for the poster. Actions on social media that are being consistently reinforced are likely to be repeated by the posters. Once a person has got the feel of getting positive feedback after a post, it becomes hard to stop. According to an article on MedicalNewsDaily by Honor Whiteman, a survey conducted by AnxietyUK concluded that 51% of the participants claimed that social media affected them negatively. Some people are living it up and posting their great experiences on social media, whilst others are having a nice relaxing day at home looking at their posts. It is rare to see someone post a terrible experience on social media and because people post themselves at their best, viewers may be disappointed with their lives. This is demonstrated by the following quote from the article. ‘“This problem has definitely gained recent attention,” says Dr. Rauch. “We know that many people on social media sites often present idealized versions of their lives, leading others to make upward social comparisons, which can lead to negative emotions.”’(Whiteman, Honor. “Social Media: How Does It Affect Our Mental Health and Well-Being?” Medical News Today)
Also, based on the information given in the previous text, it’s statistically proven that social media use causes anxiety, insomnia, and uncomfort when not connected. Another adverse effect of social media use is the negative impact on real-life encounters for individuals suffering from stress before getting involved with social media. This is evident in the following quote. “Furthermore, the survey revealed that two-thirds of participants reported difficulty relaxing and sleeping after they used the sites, while 55% said they felt “worried or uncomfortable” when they were unable to log onto their social media accounts.”(Whiteman, Honor. “Social Media: How Does It Affect Our Mental Health and Well-Being?” Medical News Today)
Although it doesn’t seem like a drastic issue but many kids on social media can experience cyberbullying. Based on the movie: “Cyberbully”, mentioned earlier it is evident that cyberbullying can cause major mental health issues including anxiety, and quite possibly suicidal thoughts and tendencies. The movie may not be a true life story but many events that occurred in the film actually occur in the real world. Suicide as a result of bullying is not unheard of and social media allows bullying to follow people even when they are alone with only their cell phone. Jamie Foxx’s song “Digital Girl” is a form of catfishing. Catfishing can also be very dangerous because in severe cases, a person is impersonating another person on social media and their intentions are unknown, This is what makes social media so dangerous. It has become too easy in this modern technological era to harass people because it can be done with a simple click of a button.
People use social media as a means to connect with people, and socialize and keep up with friends. However, they do not realize the devastating effects that social media inflicts on one’s mental health. Many people jump onto their social networking program to pass the time during times of boredom without taking into account how it affects themselves or other people. Social media impact can have many unfortunate effects on people such as depression or anxiety due to viewing other people’s posts that center a picture with only the positives of one’s life never the negatives, which creates the image that they have a perfect life which is most definitely untrue. Due to this, social media can lower people’s confidence and cause depression. Besides the negative health aspects of the use of social media, there is also the social media harassment that comes into play. Cyberbullying, which includes sending threatening messages over social media, spreadin
g rumors online, hacking into an account to post hurtful messages, pretending to be someone you’re not on social media or posting provocative, or unpleasant pictures of someone else, is also a major impact on social media being a negative health issue. It is proven to lower self-esteem and make people act out of order in ways such as suicide, demonstrating aggression and acting out, and slipping of grades. In the end, social media seems to cause more problems than it fixes. Okay, it cures boredom, but as a chain effect also creates insomnia and anxiety, therefore social media influence is mostly negative.
Assignment 2 Revision Task:
- In revision I was looking for places I was too general and I added specificity and relevant quotes followed by supporting claims. I removed repetition and removed writing that was unnecessary or just repeated claims that were stated earlier in the essay. Also, I fixed cases where I would over-generalize the actions of people as a whole and changed some quotations to better support claims.
- I combined paragraphs that were based on generally the same topic and deleted information that repeated information previously stated. I replaced quotes with others that supported claims better than the previous and also incorporated new quotes from new sources to included information from various sources to better support my claims. All in all, I think I did a better job organizing the essay.
- I fixed improper citations but for some of the sources, the author’s name wasn’t available and added them where they belonged. I fixed all grammar mistakes and used better transitions for quotes. I also revised the work cited page to include new sources.
I think I deserved the points for the revision. I looked back through all quotes in my essay and made sure to provide proper citations to them. I also fixed citations so readers would have a better general idea where my sources came from. I tried to make the essay sound more cohesive and more to the point. I combined paragraphs that were based on the same information. I also removed information that was repetitive. I structured claims and statements so that it was less generalized which I did a lot. All in all, I tried to make sure the main theme or thesis of the essay remained evident.
Mitchell Levin Bibliography
MLA citation of a book: Kowalski, Robin M, et al. Cyberbullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. Wiley, 2012
Keywords: Cyberbullying, social networking, social media, digital world
Summary:
Psychologists have been studying cyber bullying as it evolves due to the technologically advanced society that we live in. They have conducted studies and surveys with thousands of kids who may or may not have been exposed to cyberbullying, being either a bully or a victim. The book also covers how cyberbullying is used to victimize people who are so-called weaker or of lower social status. For instance, the book explains how kids with disabilities experience cyber harassment more frequently than others. Also, the author explains the different types of cyberbullying such as sexting and the dangers of it. The book portrays how social media networking is something that makes cyber bullying so much more accessible. All in all the author demonstrates the detrimental effects of cyberbullying and how with the advanced technological era it is a lot easier to victimize people with the numerous ways of cyber harassment and numerous social media networks.
My thoughts:
I agree with most of the information stated in this book and it will serve the purpose of supporting my claims. There is little evidence to invalidate my argument. The book explains what cyberbullying is, why it is used, and how to be protected from it.
MLA Citation of the journalistic source:
Fienberg,Ted, & Robey, Nicae “Cyberbullying” Education Digest : Essential Readings condensed for quick review, vol 74, no.7, 2009 pp 26-31
Key Words:
Aggression, Antisocial, Bullying,student relationship, intervention
Summary:
Being that cyber bullying is such a complex issue, it is extremely difficult to put an end to. Cyber bullying is the act of providing unwanted harmful behaviors through the use of the internet. Cyberbullying, although mostly occurs outside of schools, shows itself in the adverse behaviors of students inside school. School officials attempt to stop cyberbullying from occurring with students, however, it has proven more difficult said than done due to the evolving nature of cyber harassment. There are numerous forms of cyberbullying and numerous social media platforms to use which makes it difficult to stop. The fact that it is done through the internet makes it easy and fast for bullies to victimize people and is hard to trace. This puts many students mental health at risk. This article helps understand the devastating effects of cyberbullying as well as how school officials attempt to stop it.
My thoughts: This journalistic overview provides decent information that supports my writing by providing evidence of school officials attempting to put cyberbullying to an end within their schools.
MLA citation of peer-reviewed source:
Peter, and Petermann. “Cyberbullying: A Concept Analysis of Defining Attributes and Additional Influencing Factors.” Computers in Human Behavior 86 (2018): 350-66. Web.
Keywords: school, bullying, cyber, computers, social media
Summary:
This piece provides a clear definition of what cyber bullying really by looking into definitions from different time periods. It also has a breakdown of different yet related attributes having to do with bullies and victims of cyberbullying. Such as who victims are and health problems associated with cyber bullying. The author claims there is no perfect definition of cyberbullying but there is quantitative research going on to get to a close definition as well as a way to slow cyber bullying down.
My thoughts:
This provides an overview of how cyberbullying occurs and what methods it is used with. Also it displays information on how figures attempt to stop people from victimizing others. All in all this contains evidence i can use to support the claims in my writing.
MLA Citation:
McArthur, Tom, et al. “Cyberbullying.” The Oxford Companion to the English Language, 2018, pp. The Oxford Companion to the English Language.
Key Words:
Bullying, school, messaging, threatening, fear
Summary:
According to the author cyberbullying is a form of bullying that is mainly seen on the internet but due to modernized technology such as cell phones, it has spread to social media and texting. Cyberbullying is formed using a social networking platform to send often threatening messages to a victim who is usually less fortunate in aspects. This type of abuse is typically done through hurtful language but usually involves images used to intimidate, embarrass, or expose people. People use cyberbullying as a means of getting what they want from a person or as a means to make themselves feel better for their own life problems.
My thoughts:
This peer review article is a first-person review of methods of cyberbullying, including how it is used and the way it intimidates people. It also includes how school officials plan to decrease the effects of cyberbullying and ways social platforms can work to reduce it as well. This will provide great evidence for my claims.
Assignment 2 before revision:
On the day of October 17, 2006, a young girl, Megan Taylor Meier, committed suicide by hanging herself. Her suicide was connected to cyber bullying through the social networking website MySpace. Megan could not live through the shame and humiliation from facing disrespect from the fake account harassing her, made by her friend’s mother. Being at a vulnerable age, she was very receptive to public opinion and therefore she ended her life. Some say words hurt more than violence and seen by this tragic scenario, cyber bullying backs this statement up.
Social media is a generally new way of socializing with the use of devices to communicate, post, and receive feedback for those posts all in a matter of seconds.
Everyone remains connected through elaborate social media applications, each platform having its differentiating and unique qualities. It is understandable the appeal of using these methods of communication since most millennials and new generations are using different social media platforms from the start of their lives. However, people fail to understand the negative aspects of changing socialization, deliberately going against human’s most useful trait: speech. One of the most significant traits of humankind that distinguishes us from animals is our ability to have elaborate cognitive speech. The change from real-life social encounters to digitalizing socialization undoubtedly presents issues for one’s mental health and social skills besides the other negative aspects such as cyber bullying.
Social media is proven to be addictive as well as cause social disorders, but it also makes cyber bullying so much more effective. Bullying is the act of harming, intimidating, threatening, or coercing a person, typically seen from kids in school who victimize someone who is less fortunate. Cyber bullying, on the other hand, is in some ways worse. It allows bullies to follow victims home and terrorize them through the use of social media. Being threatened through a screen can be extremely horrifying, especially if it’s done by an anonymous user. People can be manipulated, exposed, and harassed in all kinds of ways and have it done in the simplest of ways without even showing their face. This is why cyber bullying poses such a threat to society. The limits for cyber bullies are endless and can play with victim’s lives with ease, which plays a part in why social media is so dangerous. Cyber bullies can be anyone and not only be people who harass others through their devices but they can also use social media as a means to finding where others are through posts and location tracking applications such as snapchat. Cyber bullying poses a great threat to social media users and should not be taken lightly as it is people’s mental and physical health in the balance.
Being victimized by another human being through the means of cyber harassment can be very demeaning for people. We were all created equal and it should be in everyone’s morals to uphold that equality on a day to day basis. However, there are those who choose to hate on people who they assume are of lesser social status or other “defining” attributes. Whether these people are malignant people or just playing some sick joke is irrelevant. What this is describing is bullying. Nowadays bullying has taken on various forms but the one form that seems to be of constant use is cyber bullying. In today’s technologically advanced era cyber bullying can be done by a toddler with an ipad due to its simplicity, however, people are and have been seriously affected mentally and physically due to this online harassment.
Bullying tends to occur due to an imbalanced sense of power. Bullies are commonly known to victimize people who are emotionally vulnerable or weaker individuals. Unlike traditional bullying, cyber bullying can occur without perfecting a perfect time and place and can reach a person when he or she is supposed to be within the safety of their home. Besides, cyber bullying can be more detrimental because hurtful messages and photos can be easily shared online while the perpetrator can remain protected and anonymous. Bullying inevitably increases symptoms of depression and anxiety. According to the ALSPAC cohort in the article Adult mental health consequences of peer bullying and maltreatment in childhood: two cohorts in two countries, by Suzet Tanya Lereya, William E Copeland, E Jane Costello, Dieter Wolke, “Children who were bullied by peers only were more likely than children who were maltreated only to have mental health problems in both cohorts with differences in anxiety, depression, and self harm between the two cohorts.”(Whiteman, Honor. “Social Media: How Does It Affect Our Mental Health and Well-Being?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International) Parental support has been found to decrease depression symptoms, which is usually an issue for those who decide to keep their bullying experiences to themselves rather than let it out to a parent or even a trusted adult or friend. Both bullies and victims are at an elevated risk of depression at adulthood as well as other mental health problems such as panic disorders or suicidal thoughts.
Cyber harassment is such a broad spectrum that there are theoretically endless ways of harassing others. Threatening messages, tracking applications, catfishing, and exposing others are just the tip of the iceberg. Growing up, we’ve all witnessed bullying in our schools and how school officials attempted to secure the students from this harassment. However, cyber bullying exceeds the limits of school officials and is much harder to protect victims from it. This creates a massive dilemma. Being a victim of cyber bullying can cause major self-esteem issues, depression, insomnia, and countless other mental health issues. According to the journal JAMA Psychiatry, “subjects were more likely to develop a psychiatric disorder that needed treatment as an adult, compared to kids who were not bullied”(“Anxiety, Depression & Suicide: the Lasting Effects of Bullying.” Healthline, Roberta Alexander, Brian Krans, Healthline Media). So the myth that all children experience bullying growing up can be put to rest because as demonstrated by the journal JAMA Psychiatry, children bullied growing up can experience mental health issues at adulthood, which is most definitely not what nature intended.
Social media usage is extremely common for younger people which is why the risk of cyberbullying through the means of social media is so great. Kids’ minds are not fully developed at that age and when experiencing cyberbullying they can be at risk of developing various mental health problems that are likely to progress into adulthood. In the article, Cyberbullying on Social Media Linked to Teen Depression written by Stephanie Pappas it’s stated: “Victimization of young people online has received an increasing level of scrutiny, particularly after a series of high-profile suicides of teenagers who were reportedly bullied on various social networks.”(Pappas, Stephanie. “Cyberbullying on Social Media Linked to Teen Depression.” LiveScience, Purch)
The author attributes suicides to a social media platform called Ask.fm where users could anonymously ask and answer questions. The article also states “Two studies examined the prevalence of so-called “bully-victims,” meaning teens who both bully others and are bullied. Research on offline bullying proves these kids to be most at-risk for mental health problems.“(Pappas, Stephanie. “Cyberbullying on Social Media Linked to Teen Depression.” Fox News, FOX News Network)
The experimental article, Cyberbullying Linked With Range of Mental Health Effects, conveys that after taking a look at 50 people in a psychiatric hospital ranging from ages 13 to 16, the ones who had experienced cyberbullying also faced symptoms of depression, anxiety, irritability, and anger. It clearly states ‘“Those who were victims of cyberbullying were more depressed, they were more irritable and angry, and they were more likely to not feel like themselves than those who were not victims of cyberbullying,” Dr. Saltz said.’(Airov, Terri. “Cyberbullying Linked With Range of Mental Health Effects.” Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network) Most of the patients were also daily social media users and were associated with experiencing cyberbullying through their social media. Therefore, bullying undoubtedly is responsible for anxiety and depression. The more short term the issues are is usually as a direct effect of short-lived bullying experience. Many researchers concluded that bullying can cause severe problems. For example, it is stated in the article How Teen Bullying Affects Short-Term and Long-Term Mental Health, written by the light program that “Numerous research projects have concluded that bullying can cause serious mental health issues in teens. One study of 16,410 secondary school pupils showed that people involved in bullying were more likely to suffer from depression and to have suicidal thoughts.”(The Light Program. “How Teen Bullying Affects Short-Term and Long-Term Mental Health.”), In the long run, it can be much worse. People bullied can experience symptoms later in the future. This is evident by the following quote from the article, “Bullies and their targets may struggle to develop and maintain interpersonal relationships. Lack of self-confidence and self-esteem affects educational achievements and income potential. One research project showed that targets of bullying earned less at age 50 than their non-bullied peers”(The Light Program. “How Teen Bullying Affects Short-Term and Long-Term Mental Health.”) This is why bullying is such an issue in today’s society. Especially with the increase and innovation of technology that makes it extraordinarily easy for people to begin harassing others.
The negative mental health effects due to cyber bullying are not only due to fear of bullies and what they do to disrupt victim’s lives but also because they are subjected to isolation from peer groups when being bullied by a person or group. People, usually teens, suffer from depression, anxiety, and insomnia due to social media and cyber bullying. Despite millennials having a somewhat addiction to the use of social media network, the use of cyber bullying within these social platforms make the symptoms worse. Millennials have a constant need to be on top of what happens on social media, keeping them and their peers connected. Experiencing harassment through social media can cause rumors spread to peers causing humiliation and exclusion in peer activities and social circles. Being excluded from something is never a good feeling but exclusion from an entire peer group in school, for example, is much worse and can leave the victim with long term mental health problems. This can all be accomplished from a simple push of a send button that can forward an embarrassing picture to peers.
Social media has morphed bullying into an entirely different dilemma. Social networking allows bullies to extend their hatred from real life, face to face encounters to digital harassment that can be done at any time and any place. Bullies can use the information on social media against victims, such as location, friends, and routines within their day. However, there can be events where cyber bullying takes place when it’s not a planned out course of action by a bully. However, these events can still cause horrific consequences. Tyler Clementi was an 18-year-old Rutgers University student who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010. His last words, that he posted on his Facebook profile before he died, were: “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.” This was after a sexual encounter he had with a man in his dorm and was videotaped and posted all over the internet without Clementi’s knowledge by his freshman peers Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei. This is a tragic story of a cyber bullying experience which caused suicide of a young boy over nonsense drama done by a couple of foolish teens. However, these “bullies” fail to realize the everlasting effects that are caused due to cyber abuse, which in this case was death which those teens will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
Kids are more likely to keep social media bullying to themselves despite telling an adult is the right course of action. They fear that “snitching” may cause more problems with bullies. The book Cyber Bullying : Protecting Kids and Adults from Online Bullies by authors, Samuel C., III McQuade, , James P. Colt, , and Nancy B. B. Meyer agrees with this in the following quote, “The code of silence that predominates as an aspect of digital youth culture is the risk or an expectation of cyber bullying, as well as other types of abusive and offending behaviors committed by people, who relatively speaking, are friends and/or strangers online. This reality is consistent with false hopes that regardless of the technology used to interface, people can actually know and trust each other not to abuse them, but in any case not to report incidents when they do occur. Hence, youth and young adult victims of bullying, including witnesses of bullying, rarely, if ever, tell adults in positions of supervision or authority. Fear that telling may make the bullying worse, and that telling brands someone as a snitch cannot be overemphasized.” This is proof that kids are not likely to expose their bullies and let them face the devastating consequences of their actions. This is due to a so-called “rule” between peers that basically forbids snitching for most things especially wrongdoings. These people have the fear of being shunned if they expose a wrong doing despite it being harmful to their own health. Having that said, the issue of cyber bullying is more reluctant to being stopped due to this so-called “code of silence”.
Suicide with younger people is a major issue in our modern society, and people seem to think that it is mostly caused by some sort of bullying. However, according to the Department of Health & Human Services suicide does not have a direct relationship with cyber bullying. However, cyber bullying is just another weight that pushes the risk of suicidal tendencies. Suicide can be a combination of bullying, mental illness, substance abuse, poor coping skills, and family dysfunction but is not solely a result of bullying, despite how horrible it is to be bullied. Despite that fact, cyber bullying still plays a role and without the addition of cyber bullying in people’s lives, suicidal tendencies would be minimalized. People who are victims of cyber bullying are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University. The article also states “Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.”(“Bullying and Suicide.” Bullying Statistics) This is insanity that a “kid’s fooling around” can result to such devastating problems, which demonstrates the malignancy of bullying.
Bullying in the past is incomparable to the modern day. Bullying was apparently part of every child’s stage of growing up and didn’t seem to worry parents from a little name calling or some fights. With the technological revolution and the creation of social media cyber bullying progressed into what it is today. As mentioned before social media is something admired by youngsters because it allows peers to connect through an elaborate database loaded with information. Social media is a bully’s playground. The way technology has become incorporated within society in our everyday practices has manipulated bullying, making it easier to discover personal information and communicate with people with just a cellular device. With the introduction of new social networking software coming into play it is getting more difficult for officials to try to stop the effects of cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is a complex problem and is not a simple fix.
Social media networks have been gaining users over the years increasing its popularity and use in our day to day lives. This creates the requirement of these platforms to ensure the protection of its users. Instagram has reported that it has approximately 800 million users, and Facebook surpassed 1 billion daily users. This is an enormous amount of people that are at risk of cyber bullying which is why these media platforms began looking into ways to protect their users from the hostility of cyber harassment. Most social media platforms have included a feature in which people are able to report inappropriate posts and have them evaluated by appropriate people to decide whether to remove the post, leave it, or consider more aggressive action if the post is hostile.
Due to the technologically advanced era, we live in, social media platforms have been preparing their apps to protect the privacy and safety of its users. They incorporated many cyber bullying prevention software in hopes of decreasing the risk of cyber harassment. For example, the popular social media platform known as Twitter has made it more difficult for cyber bullies to attack. According to hughesnet, “Now, the platform makes it more difficult for permanently banned users to find loopholes in the system and create new profiles under different names. In addition, according to Digital Spy, if Twitter users have tweets that are flagged as offensive, circulation of their tweets will be limited to their followers only.”(“Social Media Tools to Help Stop Cyberbullying.” HughesNet) However, Twitter is not alone in trying to create a safe environment for its users. For instance, Instagram allows users to do disable commenting on their posts to limit negativity from outsiders. Likewise, snapchat sends an alert to users who had their post screenshotted by others. This provides accountability for people trying to use the screenshot in a negative way that can be considered cyber bullying.
Besides the report function that almost all social media platforms have included, there is a software called ImageVision which basically scans for keywords in people’s posts that may be related to hostile or threatening words. In this case, it marks the post for it to be later checked out by a human operator to make the final decision about the post. Approximately 10 to 40 percent of kids have experienced cyber bullying and even more social media users have witnessed these acts of aggression. This is an outstanding statistic, that approximately almost half of users have been a victim to cyber bullying, and is why social media platforms are trying their best to create a realistic, cost-efficient way of combating cyber bullying.
Social media is a very controversial topic. Many people have debates over both qualifying negative and positives of social media. However, if really considering the issue, the situation directly compares to weapons. Weapons are heavily destructive things, yet the weapons aren’t the killers. A weapon is simply a tool and can be used in various ways. People, on the other hand, are who pull the trigger or swing the knife. A knife can be used to prepare tasty dishes or kill people but it is the choice of the person wielding the knife who makes the call. Similarly, social media is just a tool. It can be used in various ways: creating relationships and staying in touch with people who otherwise we would be unable to contact. On the other hand, some nefarious individuals strive to use social media as a weapon, hence using cyberbullying as a means of victimizing people with a powerful tool that makes it much easier to harass people because you can do it from across the world by interacting with a screen.
Social media has been a mode of communication that is widely adopted in the modern world. Technology rules our world. Communication via the internet has never been easier. Social networking is a mode of communication that allows us to keep in touch with hundreds to even millions of people. You get “friends”, followers, networking, and professional connections. You are “linked in”, being “tweeted” at, you are a blogger, YouTuber, you are “friends” on Facebook or on WhatsApp. The reality of keeping up with so many people would not be possible without social media. Our world became smaller and connections tighter. Good and bad found their place in social media the same way as it finds it in realms of the streets, schools, workplaces. Of course, being on social media provides us with opportunities that are greater than we could ever imagine. We can enlighten the world and share our experiences, teach how we create, or learn a thing or two, share our pictures or share recipes. The opportunities are endless. With new technologies, there are new opportunities for stalking, “trolling”, “ghosting” and spying on other people. However, new technologies are neither bad or good. They are inventions that help us get our lives better, or could them worse. The choice is ours, whatever we chose, technology will help us to fulfill it.
Monday:
My research covers the idea of cyber bullying, which included what cyberbullying is, the different forms of cyberbullying, negative effects of cyberbullying on mental functions, and how social media platforms are attempting to confront cyberbullying. This is helpful to our group topic: health and care on social platforms, because cyber bullying is a major issue in today’s society due to the technologically advanced era. Bullying is a lot easier to do due to social media and my research covers how big of a problem it really is along with ways media is trying to solve the issue.
Works Cited:
https://www.psychcongress.com/article/cyberbullying-linked-range-mental-health-effects
https://www.hughesnet.com/why-hughesnet/blog/social-media-tools-help-stop-cyberbullying
https://www.livescience.com/51294-cyberbullying-social-media-teen-depression.html
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/bullying-affects-victims-and-bullies-into-adulthood-022013
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html
https://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/expert-say-bullying-does-not-lead-to-suicide/
https://www.flagsacrosstheworld.com/bullying-and-suicide-statistics/
https://thelightprogram.pyramidhealthcarepa.com/how-teen-bullying-affects-mental-health/
https://stopcyberabuse.weebly.com/
Assignment 2 Revised:
On the day of October 17, 2006, a young girl, Megan Taylor Meier, committed suicide by hanging herself. Her suicide was connected to cyber bullying through the social networking website MySpace. Megan could not live through the shame and humiliation from facing disrespect from the fake account harassing her, made by the mother of her friend. Being at a vulnerable age, she was very receptive to public opinion and therefore she ended her life. Some say words hurt more than violence and seen by the tragic scene in the movie, it is seen that this statement is true.
Social media is a generally new way of socializing with the use of devices to communicate, post, and receive feedback for those posts all in a matter of seconds. Social media users remain connected through elaborate social media applications, each platform having their differentiating and unique qualities. The appeal of using these methods of communication is understandable since most millennials and new generations are using different social media platforms from the start of their lives and getting influenced by others to start using social media. However, people fail to understand the negative aspects of changing socialization, as in normal speech rather than digital communication, deliberately goes against human’s most useful trait: speech. One of the most significant traits of humankind that distinguishes us from animals is our ability to have elaborate cognitive speech. The change from real-life social encounters to digitalizing socialization undoubtedly presents issues for one’s mental health and social skills besides the other negative aspects such as cyber bullying.
Social media is addictive as well as cause social disorders, but it also makes cyber bullying so much more effective by allowing bullies the luxury of harassing victims whenever they please through a touch of their phone. Bullying is the act of harming, intimidating, threatening, or coercing a person, typically seen with kids in school who victimize someone who is less fortunate. Cyber bullying, on the other hand, is in some ways worse. It allows bullies to follow victims home and terrorize them through the use of social media. Being threatened through a screen can be extremely horrifying, especially if it’s done by an anonymous user. People can be manipulated, exposed, and harassed in all kinds of ways and have it done in the simplest of ways without even showing their face. This is why cyber bullying poses such a threat to society. The following quote from the article: Cyberbullying facts and statistics for 2016-2018, supports this claim. “A 2007 Pew Research study found 32 percent of teens have been victims of some type of cyberbullying. Nearly a decade later, a 2016 study by the Cyberbullying Research Center found those numbers were almost unchanged. By 2016, just under 34 percent of teens reported they were victims of cyberbullying. Meanwhile, the National Crime Prevention Council puts that number much higher, at 43 percent.”(“Cyberbullying Statistics and Facts for 2016 – 2018.” Comparitech,) This demonstrates the large use of social media platforms for cyberbullying and is only increasing based on the statistic. The limits for cyber bullies are endless and can play with victim’s lives with ease, which plays a part in why social media is so dangerous. Cyber bullies can be anyone and not only be people who harass others through their devices but they can also use social media as a means to finding where others are through posts and location tracking applications such as Snapchat. The threat of social media harassment is immense and should not be taken lightly because it is the mental and physical health of social media users at stake.
Being victimized by another human being through the means of cyber harassment can be very demeaning for people. Being that we are all just human beings it should be in everyone’s morals to uphold that equality on a day to day basis. However, there are those who choose to hate on people who they assume are of lesser social status or other “defining” attributes. Whether these people are malignant people or just playing some sick joke is irrelevant. What this is describing is bullying. In today’s technologically advanced era cyber bullying can be done by a toddler with an iPad due to its simplicity, however, people are and have been seriously affected mentally and physically due to this online harassment.
Bullying tends to occur due to an imbalanced sense of power. Bullies are commonly known to victimize people who are emotionally vulnerable or weaker individuals. Unlike traditional bullying, cyber bullying can occur without the achievall of a perfect time and place and can reach a person when he or she is supposed to be within the safety of their home. Besides that, cyber bullying can be more detrimental because hurtful messages and photos can be easily shared online while the perpetrator can remain protected and anonymous. Bullying inevitably increases symptoms of depression and anxiety. According to the ALSPAC cohort, also known as Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, “Children who were bullied by peers only were more likely than children who were maltreated only to have mental health problems in both cohorts with differences in anxiety, depression, and self harm between the two cohorts.”(“Adult mental health consequences of peer bullying and maltreatment in childhood: two cohorts in two countries”, “Suzet Tanya Lereya, et al”)This demonstrates that cyberbullying symptoms can progress to more detrimental symptoms. Parental support has been found to decrease depression symptoms, which is usually an issue for those who decide to keep their bullying experiences to themselves rather than let it out to a parent or even a trusted adult or friend. Both bullies and victims are at an elevated risk of depression at adulthood as well as other mental health problems such as panic disorders or suicidal thoughts.
Cyber harassment is such a broad spectrum that there are theoretically endless ways of harassing others. Threatening messages, tracking applications, catfishing, and exposing others are just the tip of the iceberg. Growing up, most students have witnessed bullying in schools and how school officials attempt to secure the students from this harassment. However, cyber bullying exceeds the limits of school officials and is much harder to protect victims from it. This creates a massive dilemma. Being a victim of cyber bullying can cause major self-esteem issues, depression, insomnia, and countless other mental health issues. According to Dr. Andre Sourander, whose research got published by the journal JAMA Psychiatry, “subjects were more likely to develop a psychiatric disorder that needed treatment as an adult, compared to kids who were not bullied”(“Anxiety, Depression & Suicide: the Lasting Effects of Bullying.”, Roberta Alexander, Brian Krans, Healthline Media). So the myth that all children experience bullying growing up can be put to rest because as demonstrated by the journal JAMA Psychiatry, children bullied growing up can experience mental health issues at adulthood, which is most definitely not what nature intended.
Social media usage is extremely common for younger people which is why the risk of cyberbullying through the means of social media is so great. Kids’ minds are not fully developed at that age and when experiencing cyberbullying they can be at risk of developing various mental health problems that are likely to progress into adulthood. In the article, Cyberbullying on Social Media Linked to Teen Depression written by Stephanie Pappas it’s stated: “Victimization of young people online has received an increasing level of scrutiny, particularly after a series of high-profile suicides of teenagers who were reportedly bullied on various social networks.”
The author attributes suicides to a social media platform called Ask.FM where users could anonymously ask and answer questions. The article also states “Two studies examined the prevalence of so-called “bully-victims,” meaning teens who both bully others and are bullied. Research on offline bullying proves these kids to be most at-risk for mental health problems.“ The article also mentioned a cyberbullying incident from 2013 when there were a series of teenage suicides connected to bullying through different sorts of social media including Ask.FM which vividly shows how dangerous online media can be.
The experimental article, Cyberbullying Linked With Range of Mental Health Effects, conveys that after taking a look at 50 people in a psychiatric hospital ranging from ages 13 to 16, the ones who had experienced cyberbullying also faced symptoms of depression, anxiety, irritability, and anger. The article concludes that adolescents who experience cyber bullying would most likely face mental illness. This is evident based on the following quote from the article: “Adolescents who experience cyberbullying are at increased risk for several mental health conditions, especially if they have previously been emotionally abused, researchers found in a study being presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting.”(Airov, Terri. “Cyberbullying Linked With Range of Mental Health Effects.” Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network) Most of the patients were also daily social media users and were associated with experiencing cyberbullying through their social media. It clearly states ‘“Those who were victims of cyberbullying were more depressed, they were more irritable and angry, and they were more likely to not feel like themselves than those who were not victims of cyberbullying,” Dr. Saltz said.’(Airov, Terri. “Cyberbullying Linked With Range of Mental Health Effects.” Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network) Therefore, cyber bullying is responsible for anxiety and depression in adolescents. The more short term the issues are is usually as a direct effect of short-lived bullying experience. Many researchers concluded that bullying can cause severe problems. The light program which is a mental health Intensive Outpatient Program conducted a study on the effect of cyber bullying on students. In the article How Teen Bullying Affects Short-Term and Long-Term Mental Health, written by the light program it is stated that “Numerous research projects have concluded that bullying can cause serious mental health issues in teens. One study of 16,410 secondary school pupils showed that people involved in bullying were more likely to suffer from depression and to have suicidal thoughts.”(The Light Program. “How Teen Bullying Affects Short-Term and Long-Term Mental Health.”), In the long run, it can be much worse. People bullied can experience symptoms later in the future. Based on the research conducted and published by The Light Program bullies and their victims can experience self-esteem and confidence issues as well as a potential of a smaller income during adulthood compared to people who didn’t experience cyber bullying. This is why bullying is such an issue in today’s society. Especially with the increase and innovation of technology that makes it extraordinarily easy for people to begin harassing others through media.
The negative mental health effects due to cyber bullying are not only due to fear of bullies and what they do to disrupt victim’s lives but also because they are subjected to isolation from peer groups when being bullied by a person or group. People, usually teens, suffer from depression, anxiety, and insomnia due to social media and cyber bullying. Despite millennials having a somewhat addiction to the use of social media network, the use of cyber bullying within these social platforms make the symptoms worse. This is evident from the article Social Media Addiction which stated the following quote, “By their very nature, humans possess a strong feeling to be connected to others and constantly have a sense of needing to belong somewhere. Social media has offered people a way to accomplish this like never before…Over time though, this connection can slowly become a need. The immediacy of the connection to people and access of information can offer such overwhelming and euphoric emotions; it can be difficult to turn away from them.” Millennials have a constant need to be on top of what happens on social media, keeping them and their peers connected. Experiencing harassment through social media can cause rumors spread to peers causing humiliation and exclusion in peer activities and social circles. Being excluded from something is never a good feeling but exclusion from an entire peer group in school is much worse and can leave the victim with long term mental health problems. This can all be accomplished from a simple push of a send button that can forward an embarrassing picture to peers.
Social media has morphed bullying into an entirely different dilemma. Social networking allows bullies to extend their hatred from real life, face to face encounters to digital harassment that can be done at any time and any place. Bullies can use the information on social media against victims, such as location, friends, and routines within their day. However, there can be events where cyber bullying takes place when it’s not a planned out course of action by a bully. However, these events can still cause horrific consequences. Tyler Clementi was an 18-year-old Rutgers University student who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010. His last words, that he posted on his Facebook profile before he died, were: “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”(Pilkington, Ed. “Tyler Clementi, Student Outed as Gay on Internet, Jumps to His Death.” Guardian News and Media) This was after a sexual encounter he had with a man in his dorm and was videotaped and posted all over the internet without Clementi’s knowledge by his freshman peers Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei. This is a tragic story of a cyber bullying experience which caused suicide of a young boy over nonsense drama done by a couple of foolish teens. These “bullies” fail to realize the everlasting effects that are caused due to cyber abuse, which in this case was death which those teens will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
Kids are more likely to keep social media bullying to themselves despite telling an adult is the right course of action. They fear that “snitching” may cause more problems with bullies. The authors, Samuel C., III McQuade, James P. Colt, and Nancy B. B. Meyer, of the book, Cyber Bullying: Protecting Kids and Adults from Online Bullies, agree with this in the following quote, “The code of silence that predominates as an aspect of digital youth culture is the risk or an expectation of cyber bullying, as well as other types of abusive and offending behaviors committed by people, who relatively speaking, are friends and/or strangers online. Hence, youth and young adult victims of bullying, including witnesses of bullying, rarely, if ever, tell adults in positions of supervision or authority. Fear that telling may make the bullying worse, and that telling brands someone as a snitch cannot be overemphasized.” Kids are not likely to expose their bellies and let them face the devastating consequences of their actions. This is due to a so-called “rule” between peers that basically forbids snitching for most things especially wrongdoings. Many people have the fear of being shunned if they expose wrongdoing despite it being harmful to their own health. Having that said, the issue of cyber bullying is more reluctant to being stopped due to what the authors describe as a “code of silence”.
Suicide with younger people is a major issue in our modern society, and many people think that it is mostly caused by some sort of bullying. However, according to the Department of Health & Human Services “no direct link was found between bullying and suicide”(“Expert Say Bullying Does Not Lead to Suicide.” Education News). However, cyber bullying is just another weight that pushes the risk of suicidal tendencies. Suicide can be a combination of bullying, mental illness, substance abuse, poor coping skills, and family dysfunction but is not solely a result of bullying, despite how horrible it is to be bullied. Despite that fact, cyber bullying still plays a role and without the addition of cyber bullying in people’s lives, suicidal tendencies would be minimalized. People who are victims of cyber bullying are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University. (“Bullying and Suicide.” Bullying Statistics)”Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.”(“Bullying and Suicide.” Bullying Statistics) This is insanity that a “kid’s fooling around” can result in such devastating problems, which demonstrates the malignancy of bullying.
Bullying in the past is incomparable to the modern day. Bullying was around for a while and didn’t seem to worry parents from a little name calling or some fights because “it was a stage of every child’s development”. With the technological revolution and the creation of social media cyber bullying progressed into what it is today. Social media is greatly admired by younger people making it a bully’s playground. The way technology has become incorporated within society in our everyday practices has manipulated bullying, making it easier to discover personal information and communicate with people with just a cellular device. With the introduction of new social networking software coming into play it is getting more difficult for officials to try to stop the effects of cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is a complex problem and is not a simple fix.
Social media networks have been gaining users over the years increasing its popularity and use in our day to day lives. This creates the requirement of these platforms to ensure the protection of its users. Instagram has reported that it has approximately 800 million users, and Facebook surpassed 1 billion daily users. (“Josh Constine. “Instagram Hits 1 Billion Monthly Users, up from 800M in September – TechCrunch.”) This is an enormous amount of people that are at risk of cyberbullying which is why these media platforms began looking into ways to protect their users from the hostility of cyber harassment. Most social media platforms have included a feature in which people are able to report inappropriate posts and have them evaluated by appropriate people to decide whether to remove the post, leave it, or consider more aggressive action if the post is hostile. Social media platforms have been preparing their apps to protect the privacy and safety of its users due to the ongoing cyber bullying problems associated with social media. They incorporated many cyber bullying prevention software in hopes of decreasing the risk of cyber harassment. For example, the popular social media platform known as Twitter has made it more difficult for cyber bullies to attack. According to the article written on HughesNet, “Now, the platform makes it more difficult for permanently banned users to find loopholes in the system and create new profiles under different names. In addition, according to (an article on)Digital Spy, if Twitter users have tweets that are flagged as offensive, circulation of their tweets will be limited to their followers only.”(“Social Media Tools to Help Stop Cyberbullying.” HughesNet) However, Twitter is not alone in trying to create a safe environment for its users. For instance, Instagram allows users to do disable commenting on their posts to limit negativity from outsiders. Likewise, Snapchat sends an alert to users who had their post screenshotted by others. This provides accountability for people trying to use the screenshot in a negative way that can be considered cyber bullying.
Besides the report function that almost all social media platforms have included, there is a software called ImageVision which basically scans for keywords in people’s posts that may be related to hostile or threatening words. In this case, it marks the post for it to be later checked out by a human operator to make the final decision about the post. Approximately 10 to 40 percent of adolescents have experienced cyber bullying and even more, social media users have witnessed these acts of aggression. This is an outstanding statistic, that approximately almost half of users have been a victim to cyber bullying, and is why social media platforms are trying their best to create a realistic, cost-efficient way of combating cyber bullying.
Social media has been a mode of communication that is widely adopted in the modern world. Technology rules our world. Communication via internet has never been easier. Social networking is a mode of communication that allows us to keep in touch with hundreds to even millions of people. You get “friends”, followers, networking, and professional connections. You are “linked in”, being “tweeted” at, you are a blogger, YouTuber, you are “friends” on Facebook or on Whatsapp. The reality of keeping up with so many people would not be possible without social media. Our world became smaller and connections tighter. Good and bad found their place in social media the same way as it finds it in realms of the streets, schools, workplaces. Of course, being on social media provides us with opportunities that are greater than we could ever imagined. We can enlighten the world and share our experiences, teach how we create, or learn a thing or two, share our pictures or share recipes. The opportunities are endless. With new technologies, there are new opportunities for stalking, “trolling”, “ghosting” and spying on other people. However, new technologies are neither bad or good. They are inventions that help us get our lives better, or could them worse. The choice is ours, whatever we chose, technology will help us to fulfill it.
Monday:
My research covers the idea of cyber bullying, which included what cyberbullying is, the different forms of cyberbullying, negative effects of cyberbullying on mental functions, and how social media platforms are attempting to confront cyberbullying. This is helpful to our group topic: health and care on social platforms, because cyber bullying is a major issue in today’s society due to the technologically advanced era. Bullying is a lot easier to do due to social media and my research covers how big of a problem it really is along with ways media is trying to solve the issue.
Works Cited:
https://www.psychcongress.com/article/cyberbullying-linked-range-mental-health-effects
https://www.hughesnet.com/why-hughesnet/blog/social-media-tools-help-stop-cyberbullying
https://www.livescience.com/51294-cyberbullying-social-media-teen-depression.html
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/bullying-affects-victims-and-bullies-into-adulthood-022013
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html
https://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/expert-say-bullying-does-not-lead-to-suicide/
https://www.flagsacrosstheworld.com/bullying-and-suicide-statistics/
https://thelightprogram.pyramidhealthcarepa.com/how-teen-bullying-affects-mental-health/
https://stopcyberabuse.weebly.com/
https://www.comparitech.com/internet-providers/cyberbullying-statistics/
https://www.hughesnet.com/why-hughesnet/blog/social-media-tools-help-stop-cyberbullying
https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/20/instagram-1-billion-users/
https://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/expert-say-bullying-does-not-lead-to-suicide/
1000 words about writing in 2150:
During English 2150 and the three writing pieces and portfolio that was assigned, I believe I progressed as a writer, improving on certain skills I lacked on before. I’ve always lacked as a writer compared to other subjects. I would always have a struggle combining words in a way to create flow and understanding. Coming into the class Seth provided the idea that all first drafts were always supposed to be bad, and I would always struggle brainstorming ideas to write so as soon as I completed the essay I would call it a day. Being that we were writing about the same topic for all our essay prompts it became difficult to brainstorm new ideas so i felt like I was repeating myself to make the word count. I’ve come to learn that the way to meet writing requirements I must included excessive details and evidence to back-up my argument. I’ve come to realize that this isn’t that way to approach essays.
After completing the revision tasks I realized how much better my essay sounds and flows when I’m rereading my essay and editing with a clear mind. I feel that I was able to really improve my essay with the revision task with the help of the comments provided. Also, I was struggling with understanding essay prompts and how to organize writing it. This more or less improved throughout the class. In 2150 I was joined by student writers, many of which had much more efficient writing talent. Being placed in groups with them I was able to read their work and get critiqued by them which helped improve my writing by brushing off their ideas and corrections.
The group essay review sessions were very helpful because it gave me an outside look from both student group members and Seth. I was able to get feedback on my essay which helped me improve the writing. The revision tasks criticized my essay but helped me improve on citing work, being more specific, making links between research, and having better textual support for quotes and claims. Compared to my 2100 class the writing process for this class helped me organize my information and details in a timely manner. The peer revision process made it easier for me to fix my paper to ensure that the specified audience would understand.
By reading my group member’s papers I took note of the complexity of their writing and with their feedback and simply reading it, I was able to incorporate better writing techniques into assignments.
I was scared when I saw the length of assignments, but after struggling with it I learned that to increase the length I would need more detail in my essay, included relevant quotes and information to successfully back them up and explain relevance. Also, I had to improve on time management. Waiting till the last minute was no longer an option when it came to 10 page research papers. I would have to begin an essay weeks before a deadline in order to complete it to the best of my abilities. I also improved on creating a less generalized thesis and be more clear with the topic of an essay.
The paper that I struggled with most in this class was the 2 cultural artifacts paper. At first I was really confused of what the task was and how to accomplish it. I had trouble connecting the two artifacts to the main thesis in my essay, but through the revision tasks and group editing process I was able to write a cohesive essay. The work i’m most proud of is the research essay. Although, it still requires much improvement, I feel that in writing that essay my thoughts were more clear than ever before when writing an essay. I clearly understood the assignment and did my best to create a proper research paper.
In my future classes I will be utilizing the writing techniques from this class as I feel that it is best suited for me and helped me progress a lot throughout the semester. The reason I feel this way is because in my 2100 class I was struggling with the organization of my paper and proper time management, and felt as if all my papers sounded rushed. This class helped me have a better mentality when confronting a writing assignment, and will undoubtedly help me in the future.
Procrastination is a major problem I was experiencing during this semester. I would hold assignments till the last minute due to work for other classes I needed to get done. This held me back by not allowing me to write my essays to my full potential.
I liked the idea of the “shitty first draft” from the class because in starting college I would struggle with formulating ideas and answering the prompt for a clear cohesive essay. Once I completed an essay to the word count I would use that as my final draft. In Seth’s class I used the idea of the “shitty first draft” and was able to edit my first draft and create something better. After reading my first draft I was able to see all the mistakes and improper structure of sentences and ideas that I was unable to see the first time reading the draft. This was definitely and major concept from the class that improved my writing.
Overall I think this class enhanced my skills as a writer the most from 2150 compared to other classes. The class has a positive and humorous environment making it not dreadful coming to class as well as learning. I was able to write longer papers than i’m used to and is not as tedious of a process as I might’ve once thought before taking english 2150. Instead of filling up the paper with unnecessary fluff I now know that relevant quotes and research to back those quotes up is what creates the length of the essays without making it sound redundant and uninformative. The key concepts from 2150 will stay with me through my entire college experience.