Reader's Digest May 2008 CYBER BULLYING

Having read the article on cyber bullying in the May's issue of the reader's digest, it seemed clear to me now how devastating the effects of cyber bullying can be. Just what is cyber bullying? It is the practice of using technology to hurt someone's feelings, causing them to be mentally and emotionally depressed. A cyber bully is able to use various platforms such as the internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. to cause hurt to their victims mentally. Some examples may include sending out death threats, posting embarrassing images of a victim or private messages.

And just why would these "cyber bullies" do such a thing? They do so as they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Sometimes they do it for entertainment or because they are bored and have too much time on their hands and too many tech toys available to them. Many do it for laughs or to get a reaction.

My first reaction when i first read about cyber bullying some time ago was that it was something that would pass by quickly without causing a big impact, like a "trend". Hence, I did not pay a much needed attention to it. But I was terribly wrong. Over the years, there has been an alarming increase in the number of cyber bullying cases. What's so terrifying about cyber bullying is that is causing more harm to a victim than just bullying itself. Unlike bullying where you will only experience when you come face to face with the bully, you have no idea who is sending those death threats or posting those videos footages as it is hard to track that person down. It can be quite a nerve-wrecking situation for the victim. Also, if it is an image or video, as it is on the internet, anyone one person in the world can view it at any particular time. It would not stop. The video will circulate and more and more people will view it. The pressure and stress can also drive the victim up the wall and he or she might just commit suicide to escape from all this.

Cyber bullying, in my opinion, is definitely a serious matter. More and more teenagers are addicted to it as some of them might do so unknowingly. Whatever the reason, the negative effects of cyber bullying is great, and it is causing many victims to feel lost, hopeless, humiliated, threatened and unwanted. This will indefinitely affect the growth of the victim, who is of a young age, and might even spoil his or her life. The reasons for cyber bullying is due to either anger, revenge or fun. If we could all just maintain some self-control over ourselves and not do anything that could hurt someone's feeling, to forgive and forget and to solve problems before it sinks deeper, cyber bullying cases will definitely decrease. We must act now before it is too late. We must all do our part to stop cyber bullying now.

Gerald Chan (18) 3E