hell No!

Sheniz Erkan. One innocent young girl. One devastated family. The Taylors Lakes Secondary College student from Melbourne, took her own life early this year after repeated bullying in the schoolyard and online via Facebook. Her death has sparked a wave of anger and sadness at the increased online presence of bullies and the distressing impact on young children.

Bullying is a part of life, whether the bully is your sibling, or the lasting bitter feeling towards a schoolmate or a good friend, who thinks they are being helpful. Most of us are told to ‘man up’, ‘grow a pair’, ‘stop being a sissy’ and ‘stand up for yourself’. But when does bullying become too hard to handle?

Bullying has always been a concern amongst adolescents. Half of Victorian school children aged 12 to 14 have experienced bullying, according to the Department of Education’s most recent State of Victoria’s Children report. With developments made in technology, this form of aggression has progressively transferred to an online medium. In a study conducted in 2007, an astonishing 32 percent of adolescents in Canada said they had experienced at least one account of online aggression (Media Awareness Network, 2010). When almost one-third of a western country’s adolescent population is affected, it becomes imperative to find out just what it is and why it’s happening.

Bullying refers to repeated acts of causing intentional harm to a victim as a result of a power imbalance. It occurs within a familial or social context when one sibling or classmate has the intellectual or physical upper hand over the other. This upper hand is then expressed through intimidating or humiliating behaviour at home, at school and various other places where others are present to witness the victim’s degradation, and further add to the impact on the victim. In The Big Bang Theory, Jonah and Leonard both show signs of depression either out of helplessness or due to distance and maturity. But there are many victims of bullying out there who suffer in silence – especially now that bullying has gone online.

Cyber bullying is a form of aggression which entails the intention to harm someone who cannot defend themselves, through an electronic medium. It can be exhibited through various means, such as threatening someone through instant messaging or chat rooms, or embarrassing them through social media including Facebook and MySpace.

Cyber bullying is distinguishable from the traditional sense because it takes place in an online environment. Bullies express themselves in a way they would normally refrain from doing, as they are able to use a medium that allows them to act aggressively without immediate repercussions.

Studies have shown that technology provides bullies the potential to be more viral than traditional bullying, since threatening or embarrassing messages can be exposed to a large audience virtually instantaneously, through means such as mass emails and posts.

Cyber bully victims are almost twice as likely to attempt suicide as those not bullied at all; victims of traditional bullying, on the other hand, are 1.7 times more likely. Although not significantly greater than the traditional form, these rates demonstrate the impact that cyber bullying can have on an adolescent. When victims are harassed by bullies they experience feelings of decreased self-worth, depression, loneliness and hopelessness, all of which contribute to greater risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts.

Cyberbullies express themselves in a way they would normally refrain from doing, as they are able to use a medium that allows them to act aggressively without immediate repercussions.

The use of pseudonyms, enabling a sense of anonymity amongst users, provides people with the opportunity to separate their real-life identity and their “online” identity. Accordingly, some individuals feel a sense of liberation and behave in a way that would otherwise be considered socially inappropriate. They are more likely to act aggressively by being more spiteful, vicious and threatening. These actions can contribute to what is known as the ‘disinhibition’ effect, which suggests that as a result of anonymity deriving from computer-related modes of communication, people are less likely to be concerned about society’s reactions. They ultimately feel empowered to express themselves openly without worrying about consequences.

The effects of disinhibition are said to be caused by deindividuation, which occurs when one’s accountability cues have been diminished. Anonymity reduces one’s self-awareness and makes one more likely to act based on situational cues. Research shows that uninhibited communication such as use of profanity and insults are significantly more prevalent in computer-mediated communication than in personal interactions involving face-to-face interactions. As a result of the reduced influence of social norms, antinormative and deregulated behaviour such as aggression are more common.

Cyber bullying is often more dangerous than traditional bullying as it can also be perpetrated by strangers. The online medium provides an anonymity which empowers bullies into targeting innocent victims. This is especially the case when people go online looking for love. (Contrary to common perceptions, it is not only children and teenagers that are the target of cyber bullying). Increasingly someone knows someone who met their perfect match online, and more and more vulnerable lonely hearts are exposed online. These lonely people are emotionally vulnerable and a prime target for scams. There have been many stories of women who have been cheated out of their finances by men who flirted their way into their lives and then pleaded for financial assistance. While kids may tease other kids online and teenagers may write unsavoury comments which ‘ruin social lives’, many adults are at risk of being hurt as well. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald reported that more than 1600 Australians reported losing $17 million in the online search for romance in 2011, up from $15 million in 2010.

The influence of anonymity and deindivdiuation in online settings significantly encourages adults and adolescents alike to participate in inappropriate social behavior such as bullying, flirting and fraud. These can be reduced, if not prevented by developing trusting face-to-face relationships between adolescents and adults, including teachers and parents. Bullies (adults or kids) indulge in bullying to increase their self-worth while simultaneously decreasing that of others. Provision of extracurricular activities which promote selfdevelopment and esteem can contribute towards decreasing occurrences of cyber bullying in all age groups.

Cyber bullying is a sad reality of an increasingly connected society: greater awareness by parents, teachers and social workers is imperative to introducing measures to prevent bullying related depression, suicide and other misfortunes. Fostering relationships between adults and children means children are less likely to lose their sense of identity in online settings.

As Sheniz’s brother said, ‘“Parents need to keep more track of Facebook and the internet... There are problems that they might not know about that are being kept online... These days there is so much technology and cyber stuff going on it’s like a whole other world... Kids can just hide behind their keyboards, write whatever they want without worrying about the repercussions.”

Providing activities for students to participate in allows better management of stress and prevents students from lashing out at each other. Someone you know may be a victim of bullying or cyber bullying. Be aware of what it is and equip yourself and those you love with the required skills and information to protect yourself.