Digital abuse

Digital abuse

Digital abuse is the use of online platforms and technology to bully, harass, stalk, or intimidate a person. With fast growing technology, more social online platforms are getting developed. As more social online platforms get created, digital abuse continues to grow. Digital abuse is different from other types of abuse because it is permanent, persistent, and hard to notice. Various types of digital abuse include cyberbullying, stalking, and sexting. Cyberbullying is the most common and persistent form of digital abuse. Most cyberbullying cases start as content meant to embarrass someone, but the content spread to so many people, and before long, they create a permanent impact.

Cyberbullying is using digital devices to send, post, or share negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. Cyberbullying continues to be a menace among the youth because of the lack of a proper chain of action. Although cyberbullying leaves a permanent public record, there is a deficiency in how such cases are handled. In typical bullying cases, perpetrators get punished, and the reason behind their behavior is established. Typically, when instances of bullying get unveiled, both parties are aided to help them overcome the consequences of their situations.

Cyberbullying cases are on the rise among youth since it is difficult to follow up cases because most cyberbullies use pseudo accounts. In line with stopbullying.gov, The 2017 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice) indicates that among students ages 12-18 who reported being bullied at school during the school year, 15% were bullied online or by text. The data goes to prove that cyberbullying is prevalent among the youth. With the expanding social media platforms, cyberbullying will continue to spread due to the lack of measures against the abuse.

Like other types of bullying, cyberbullying has adverse effects on the victim. One adverse effect is anxiety and depression. Having to live with harmful content circulating on social media is devastating. Furthermore, content posted on the internet is permanent; thus, the famous saying, “the internet never forgets. According to a testimonial on A Thin Line by MTV, one person says that their nudes are still lingering on the internet six years on. Such depression can lead to suicidal thoughts.  Many testimonials on The Cybersmile foundation show how the victims contemplated suicide when they faced cyberbullying.

Although the victims face more challenges, the cyberbullying also affects the bullies. The bullies develop anti-social personalities. A cyberbully derives pleasure from spreading harmful content on social media about other people. Such people lack empathy and develop criminal behaviors. Cyberbullies get long-term effects of their actions. Furthermore, such bullies lack a proper way of expressing their feelings and choose to take it out on others. Lack of problem-solving skills runs deep later in their adult lives affecting their adulthood. Therefore, in trying to find a way to help cyberbullying victims, the bullies should also get considered because their behavior leaves long-term effects in their lives. In most cases, the bullies have a problem that they conceal by tarnishing the names of others.

Sites that are geared towards bringing awareness and education to digital abuses are effective in preventing future damages. Sites such as stopbullying.gov give detailed information on how cyberbullying takes place. The site provides not only data but also the various ways cyberbullying happens. With such information, one is aware of when they are cyberbullying others. Creating awareness of digital abuse helps reduce future abuses. Also, Cybersmile offers support to bullying victims. The victims can break the cyberbullying chain when they get the emotional support they need. A Thin Line by ATM has a question and answer forum where people can ask questions about digital abuse anonymously. Such anonymity makes youths comfortable, and they can ask any question they cannot ask in normal circumstances.

Although the sites are effective in combating cyberbullying, the sites have one weakness which might make them fail in preventing future cases of digital abuse. All the sites focus on the victim. Cyberbullying is a double-edged sword that affects both the bully and the victim. Therefore, to terminate future cases of cyberbullying, the sites should also focus on rehabilitating the bullies. Looking at the testimonials from Cybersmile, all the people are victims of bullying. However, if cyberbullying is to come to an end soon, such sites should also offer rehabilitation to the bullies or people who are tempted to bully others.

The organizations’ efforts can be improved by extending their services to bullies. The organizations can also offer more information on how bullying affects the bullies. As stated earlier, cyberbullying is a double-edged sword, and therefore, support should extend to bullies and victims. Some bullies suffer psychologically, and because of lack of support systems, they choose to frustrate others too. Therefore, if support systems were made available for such distressed persons, the number of bullies would decrease. Besides, the organizations can work towards rehabilitating the bullies. Supporting the victims only solves the problem halfway. If the organizations want to achieve zero or near zero digital abuse cases, they should rehabilitate both bullies and their victims.

Works Cited

A Thin Line . A thin Line . 21 June 2017. 18 June 2019 http://www.athinline.org/

stopbullying.gov. Cyberbullying. 30 May 2019. 18 June 2019 https://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/index.html

The Cybersmile Foundation. The Cybersmile Foundation. 2019. 18 June 2019 https://www.cybersmile.org/