cyber bullying
A Stained Heart
Black letters flash across the screen, launching an attack of rumors and insults. A text, a Facebook wall post, a Tweet, a line or two is all it takes to wound someone's self-esteem, to bring tears, to ruin a friendship. With the explosion of modern technology, old school bullying is out and a new type of bullying is taking the stage. Cyber bullying has manifested itself in popular networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Even though these sites are meant to increase communication between friends and acquaintances, they can also be sources of peer pressure. Bullying, both physically and verbally, has been an appalling part of this world for years. However, cyber bullying has been a preferred form of bullying for likely as long as the Internet has existed. The reason for this is because, in comparison to traditional bullying, where the bully was required to meet with the victim face-to-face, cyber bullying can be carried out anywhere, instantaneously and anonymously. This means that, even if a bully lacked the courage to physically harass their peers, cyber bullying gives them the power to beleaguer them anytime and anywhere.
Like most teenage girls, I have been both the victim and the bully in this situation. When someone insults you online, it's hard not to fight back. When someone hurts your feelings, how can you not try to make them feel sorry? I used to struggle with this question, until I heard the story of thirteen-year-old Megan Meier. She was a young girl who struggled with her weight and emotions all her life. Like most teenagers, she had a MySpace that she liked to check daily. One day she received a message from a sixteen-year-old boy, whom she developed a friendship with. His messages were nice and friendly at first, but then out of nowhere he started bullying her and calling her names. Megan, with her already low self-esteem, found this a reason to commit suicide. A few weeks after her death, her parents found out this
Black letters flash across the screen, launching an attack of rumors and insults. A text, a Facebook wall post, a Tweet, a line or two is all it takes to wound someone's self-esteem, to bring tears, to ruin a friendship. With the explosion of modern technology, old school bullying is out and a new type of bullying is taking the stage. Cyber bullying has manifested itself in popular networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Even though these sites are meant to increase communication between friends and acquaintances, they can also be sources of peer pressure. Bullying, both physically and verbally, has been an appalling part of this world for years. However, cyber bullying has been a preferred form of bullying for likely as long as the Internet has existed. The reason for this is because, in comparison to traditional bullying, where the bully was required to meet with the victim face-to-face, cyber bullying can be carried out anywhere, instantaneously and anonymously. This means that, even if a bully lacked the courage to physically harass their peers, cyber bullying gives them the power to beleaguer them anytime and anywhere.
Like most teenage girls, I have been both the victim and the bully in this situation. When someone insults you online, it's hard not to fight back. When someone hurts your feelings, how can you not try to make them feel sorry? I used to struggle with this question, until I heard the story of thirteen-year-old Megan Meier. She was a young girl who struggled with her weight and emotions all her life. Like most teenagers, she had a MySpace that she liked to check daily. One day she received a message from a sixteen-year-old boy, whom she developed a friendship with. His messages were nice and friendly at first, but then out of nowhere he started bullying her and calling her names. Megan, with her already low self-esteem, found this a reason to commit suicide. A few weeks after her death, her parents found out this