Most people know that bullying is a wrong thing to do. Although it is still a common occurrence throughout high school. There are many types of bullying: physical, verbal, emotional, and one of the newest types, cyberbullying. It was not too long ago when most people didn’t have a computer in their homes, the Internet had not even been heard of. Today, in almost every home, there is at least some sort of electronic that has access to the Internet. Computers being introduced to schools, giving students access to new ways of learning. Although it may be very useful for students to learn, it has many negative effects for students. With the Internet, students now have more ways to bully through cyberbullying. Some students have a lot freedom which allows then to social media and they use it to interact with others in their school as well as the online community. Teens mostly look for attention on social media. Some look for it through cyberbullying. Social media sites give opportunities for others to jump in and add more to the bullying. Boyd states, "Teens see gossip, drama, and attention games all around them, and not surprisingly, they mirror what they see." (Boyd 148) Seeing that bullies are getting a lot of attention, others try to imitate for the attention themselves. It seems to be a popularity contest and everyone competing for social status. Cyberbullying is easy to do because being behind an Internet screen can give people opportunities that they haven’t had before. When they aren’t face to face, they don’t feel the effects of what they are really saying. It is very easy to say something you wouldn’t say to someone in person because you know that they cannot do anything through the screen. Also since it is written out, it is hard to tell what they are really trying to say, you cannot hear their tone, which can cause words to be taken the wrong way. When being bullied in person, students have trouble leaving the situation and ignoring it. Although, on social media, it does not work that way. Since it is open for everyone to see, others can just gang up on the victim. Boyd says, “Social media has not radically altered the dynamics of bullying, but it has made these dynamics more visible to more people.” (Boyd 152) This visibility should be embraced to help teens grow and move on through life although some have trouble doing this as it is not easy. Knowing that anyone can see what you post onto social media should teach you to watch what you post as there will be consequences.
