STEP 2 - IDENTIFY PROBLEM AND PROBLEM ANALYSIS

WHAT IS THE ISSUE/ PROBLEM ?

Nowadays, we are all connected to the internet and technology. People who would never have imagined being able to communicate with someone in another country while sitting at home may now interact and converse with them as if they were face-to-face. The internet opened up a whole new world of alternatives and opportunities, as well as new threats. In reality, the internet has made education more widely available and accessible than ever before. Bullying is one of the many classroom processes and student experiences that are migrating online, from the use of digital textbooks to getting an online degree. 

According to Merriam-Webster, the term "cyberbullying" first appeared in 1998. Which is defined as "anonymous electronic publication of disparaging remarks about a person." While "Stopbullying.gov" describes cyberbullying as "bullying that occurs through digital devices such as cellphones, computers, and tablets," the "Cyberbullying Research Center" defines it as "planned and repeated abuses through the use of electronic technology." When cyberbullying escalates, it can spread false information about the victim or expose their personal information to illegal or obscene websites, such as sex trafficking websites. It is hard to completely eliminate online verbal abuse because so many people are viewing and disseminating the information at the same time. This serious societal problem has the potential to spread quickly. 

WHY / REASON FOR THE ISSUE ( ROOT CAUSE ) ? 

    Cyberbullying happens for many of the same reasons as any other type of bullying, but it may be even more appealing because it can be done anonymously. Stopbullying.gov describes two kinds of people who are likely to bully: those who are popular and those who are on the social fringes. 

Popular teenagers may bully because:

• They see it as a way to stay popular.
• Hurting others makes them feel powerful.

Teenagers who are less socially successful may bully because:

• It helps them cope with their own low self-esteem.
• They think it will help them fit in with their peers.
• They have trouble empathizing with those they hurt.

    In general, bullies’ behavior usually stems from their own problems. Stopbullying.gov reports that bullies tend to have less involved parents, to be less excited about school, and to be depressed or anxious. They often have trouble controlling their emotions and impulses and find it hard to follow rules.

Here are some additional reasons people may do their bullying online:

• Anonymity—Cyberbullying allows bullies to avoid facing their victims, so it requires less courage and provides the illusion that bullies won’t get caught.
• Ignorance of the consequences—The National Council on Crime Prevention reports that in a survey of teenagers, 81% said they believe others cyberbully because they think it’s funny. Because they don’t see their victims’ reactions in person, cyberbullies may not realize how much damage they are doing.
• Social pressure—Some cyberbullies may think their behavior is normal and socially acceptable, especially when friends egg them on.

HOW THE PROBLEM HAPPENED ?

Cyberbullying can happen in many forms for various reasons. One of the best ways to describe how this problem happens is that the perpetrator just wants to have fun without thinking about other people's feelings on social media platforms. Some examples are roasting someone online without any limit, humiliating victims with text or pictures that can affect their reputation and many ways. Some perpetrators also did cyberbullying beyond limit like involving their parents or other people around the victims. These actions will greatly affect the victim's emotion especially to teenagers as we all know teenagers are one of the stages in life that is sensitive. Basically the perpetrator had the courage to do these actions because the victim did not have any clue who started the cyberbullying. There are also some cases where this bullying is carried out by someone close to the victim like their friends or even worse best friends.  So, via cyberbullying only can lead many teenagers into depression. 

Another way these cyberbullying happens is by cyberbullying teenagers privately. This can be done using a personal message to the victim. Basically the perpetrator did these actions because they wanted something from the victim. Some of the examples are using pictures or recording of victims' wrongdoing to gain advantage from them. Basically they go beyond just a simple cyberbullying by threatening victims. So, victims already know who is bullying them but they cannot do anything to prevent it. Teenagers who are being bullied will feel more stress compared to when they are cyberbullying openly in social media. 

WHEN WERE CASES CYBERBULLY STARTED GETTING WORST ?

    In recent years, the term ‘cyberbullying’ has become relatively common in the media, often cited as a contributor to several high-profile suicides of young adolescents. A review of the literature published in 2010 showed that no articles referenced ‘cyberbullying’ before 2004, confirming its recent emergence. There is no universally accepted definition. However, most definitions describe a repeated activity conducted via electronic means with an intent to cause psychological torment.

    Cyberbullying can take many forms. It can include harassment (insults or threats), spreading rumors, impersonation, outing and trickery (gaining an individual’s trust and then using online media to distribute their secrets) or exclusion (excluding an individual from activities). These activities can be performed via e-mail, instant messaging, text message, social networking sites such as Facebook or Tumblr, and other websites .

WHERE CYBERBULLY HAPPENED?

As technology evolves in the current day, there is no disputing that cyberbullying can occur among today's social media users. Nowadays, more and more cyberbullying occurs on social media because users assume they are protected behind a screen. On the other side, they believe that they can say or post whatever they want without regard for the consequences. As the number of social media platforms has expanded, cyberbullies have taken advantage of the chance to intimidate people without considering how they feel.

For example, where cyberbullying occurred is on instant messaging, where most youths use the texting platform to communicate with one another. Cyberbullying can occur through texting without our knowledge. It can also be significantly more dangerous for teenagers because it is one of the ways cyberbullying can be exploited. For them, a message that is unknown or cannot be monitored can be used as a platform to deliver messages to their victims and disrupt their operations.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 71% of teenagers have profiles on numerous social media sites. Because of this, bullies can easily upload a humiliating or intimate photo, send photographs, and messages to their victims without revealing their true identity because they are using a false account. They assume they can conceal their behaviour from their parents, teachers, and other adults. So it's critical to keep an eye on their social media so they don't do something terrible

Problem Analysis

    Cyberbullying first appeared in 1998. It is characterized as a premeditated and repetitive misuse of electronic technology. It is a pattern of action that is intended to intimidate, enrage, or humiliate another individual. It can come in two types of forms which are directly and indirectly. Indirect cyberbullying is done when the preparator does the deeds by posting any type of harassment  like humiliating the victims on social media by using any kind of media. So, by doing this kind of cyberbullying the victims which are teenagers will not know who is the one that is responsible  for the harassment on them. Basically it is like a form of public humiliation on the internet but the victims will not know did it. As for direct, cyberbullying is when the victims know who did the harassment. This means the preparator contacted the victims and  threatened them to do something that the preparator wanted.  If the victims do not comply with the request, they will share something that the victims did not want anyone to know all over the internet.  

    The word cyberbullying is often used, but defining it has proved difficult. Traditional bullying is cruel behavior that is intentional, repetitive, and perpetrated by a more powerful individual over a less powerful target. These three elements are abstract, but still useful because they help researchers study a specific type of social conflict that is more impactful upon the target. In a digital environment, however, studying these three elements is challenging. When is online repetition intentional? Who has more power online? Sometimes researchers are able to study digital behaviors that clearly meet criteria for bullying, but at many other times it’s less clear. Cyberbullying mostly comes from social media sites, this make cyberbullying easier to occur since 71% of teenagers have profiles on numerous social media sites according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Cyberbullying has become worse nowadays. The effect of social media makes cyberbullying a common thing that happens in human daily life. Mostly, it happened towards teenagers and oldsteer. We must overcome this by providing an advertisement to ensure that everyone knows how to avoid and overcome this problem. Otherwise, this will affect some countries' futures because victims of cyberbullying will be afraid and trauma while losing their self confidence.

Reference :

 C. (2021, March 8). Tips to Help Stop Cyberbullying. ConnectSafely. https://www.connectsafely.org/tips-to-help-stop-cyberbullying/

Cyberbullying Research Center 2016, ‘Summary of Our Cyberbullying Research’ (2004-2016), viewed 6 January 2017, http://cyberbullying.org/summary-of-our-cyberbullying-research

S. (2022, January 6). Using Tech Tools To Fight Cyberbullying. Digital Connect Mag. https://www.digitalconnectmag.com/using-tech-tools-to-fight-cyberbullying/