The Internet has been a blessing for people today, since nowadays people use it throughout most of their daily lives, whether accessing it through phones, computers, tablets, or other internet-enabled devices. Unfortunately, even though it can bring about a lot of good, the internet can also be used as a weapon, especially with the current generation. With the rise of the internet, cyber bullying has also risen to be a dangerous weapon used to ruin the lives of many teens and young adults.
In today’s generation, cyber bullying is a prevalent force on the internet. More teens prefer the anonymity gained online rather than cause trouble to a person, face-to-face. When these bullies use the internet, anything they post about a certain person stays on the web where everyone can see it.
Paige Wagner, a sophomore at Cabrini College and victim of cyberbullying, told a little about what happen when she was attacked. “Yes, I have been a victim of cyberbullying both in high school and during my freshman year in college. At first, I was in disbelief that I had become the target of sure a cruel thing by people I believed to be my friends. This led me to become self conscious and hard to trust those around me. When it occurred last year, I instantly went numb, to the point where I skipped class for three days and did not get out of bed until I was forced to by a close friend,” Wagner said. “Personally, cyberbullying is the act of saying hurtful and crude things, whether or not they are true, about an individual in order to gain the attention of others and feel proud for it while breaking someone else in the process” Wagner said. This cruel treatment is a cyber bullies way of amusement; having the world see them tear apart lives of those who are weak and different.
Cyber bullying has also became one of the leading causes of teen death, suicidal behavior and other scary illnesses. In a study that was done in 2013 by Brett J Litwiller and Amy M Braush, they took a group of some 4,700 student from a high school and they found that, “both physical bullying and cyberbullying associated with substance use, violent behavior, unsafe sexual behavior and suicidal behavior. Substance use, violent behavior, and unsafe sexual behavior also all associated with suicidal behavior. Substance use and violent behavior partially mediated the relationship between both forms of bullying and suicidal behavior.”
Victims of cyberbullying face a constant battle everyday not just with their bullies but their own self-image. Cyber bullying leads to traumatizing events that affect the victim’s mindset and that of those around them. “I feel as if the people who cyberbully others have personal issues of their own that they decide to cover up through bringing out the issues that others suffer with. I do not believe that what they do is at any level right, however I do believe that someone should realize that they themselves have a problem and should seek help,” Wagner said.
Cyber bullying has been the reason why some teens struggle within their daily lives; they not only have to deal with the bully but their own thoughts that in some cases lead to suicide and other harmful decisions. Even if none of these occur, the feeling of being bullied and knowing that the only thing people did was watch this cruelty stays in their mind for a long time.
