Being bullied is a miserable experience, both physically and mentally. It can have a huge impact on their social development, engagement, and interaction with society. Cyberbullying is also a type of bullying, but it can have a severe impact on the victim as they do not know the true identity of their victimizer.
What is Cyberbullying?
We are all social animals and love to interact with each other. Our whole existence depends on our daily interactions with others. These interactions allow us to understand, grow, and help others. As we live in a society, such interactions allow us to be better versions of ourselves.
Bullying and being bullied, to some extent, help us grow and become tougher versions of ourselves, preparing us to confront any adversary that life throws at us.
However, if the degree of bullying exceeds what the individual can handle, it can have a disastrous effect on them. They isolate themselves from society, suffer from mental trauma, and, in extreme cases, resort to suicidal tendencies.
Cyberbullying is the worst kind of bullying. The victim may or may not know the bully. The identity of the bully is always concealed.
Cyberbullying takes place online, where the bully targets their intended victims using social media apps. They will contact their potential victims and start texting or sharing social media posts to threaten, degrade, and abuse someone. Over the years, the number of cases of cyberbullying has been on the rise.
Bullies typically have poorer self-esteem, according to the survey. They feel good about themselves when they target someone. They enjoy making someone suffer. When a bully tries to pick on their victim face-to-face, the victim knows who they are and what they are capable of doing. The victim can also muster enough guts to confront them. They can approach higher authorities, and actions can be taken.
Online bullying allows them to hide their identity and be more nasty. The victim feels more frustrated as they do not know the identity of the perpetrator. These victims are helpless, and they only have one option to block that bully on their social media account. However, once blocked, the bully always has the option of creating a new account and approaching the victim again. The whole cycle begins again.
Cyberbullying is easy, as there are no checks and balances to confirm and verify the true identity while creating social media accounts. Picking up on victims is also easy, as all these bullies need are electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, or computers and a decent internet connection.
These electronic devices are becoming more accessible, and creating a fake online social media account is also easy. Parents have verified, according to research, that their children are significantly more likely to experience cyberbullying than they are on playgrounds.
Getting harassed online can deeply scare the individual; they have a challenging time reacting to a difficult situation. At times, they are unaware of where their actions may lead them, and sometimes the actions they take can be extreme.
These cybercriminals collect the data of their intended victims and sell it for a profit on the dark web. Once these details are sold on the dark web, these individuals can fall prey to internet scams.
In this article, we will explore the impact of cyberbullying and why it is necessary to stop it and, if possible, take stricter action against it.
Various Types of Cyberbullying
Listed below are common types of internet bullying. As a parent or an individual, you should closely look into these different types of bullying so that you can address the specific crimes to the higher authorities.
Outing
When someone posts sensitive information, photos, and/or videos of the individual on a public platform with the intention of making them feel embarrassed, it is called an outing. These messages, videos, or audio released for the public to view may be minor or serious, leaving a mental scar on their intended victims.
Fraping
One of the most serious offenses is fraping where the bully will gain the login credentials of their intended victim and may use them to post messages that can impact the social credibility of the victim. Anything derogatory posted on the social media platform can tarnish its reputation, and deleting such content is almost impossible.
Dissing
One of the cruelest ways to destroy one’s social standing and reputation is dissing. These cybercriminals may be friends or acquaintances of the victim and will post any embarrassing and derogatory screenshots, audio, and/or videos. They will tarnish the reputation of the victim. These cyberbullies may occasionally go to considerable lengths to build a website that only targets their victims. The aim of creating such a website is to destroy its social standing and reputation by posting hurtful content on it.
Trolling
In these types of internet bullying, the attack on the victim is personal. The bully will try to provoke the victim to react badly to them. When these victims lash out, they are again victimized after they reply.
Trickery
Cyberbullies will connect with their intended victims and persuade them to reveal their darkest secrets. Once they spill their beans, these cyberbullies will make them public by posting about them on social media platforms. These cyberbullies will pretend to be their close friends but have a hidden agenda to tarnish their reputation.
Sockpuppets Or Catfishing
Cyberbullies will create fake accounts and try to win the trust and confidence of their victims. They will try to divulge the deepest secrets. Once the information is collected, these cybercriminals will send it to their team, who will post these details from a different account. Catfishing is also one of the types of internet bullying where the bully will entice their victim romantically; it is a form of romance scam.
Doxing
The word doxing comes from the document, where these cybercriminals will collect the sensitive details of their intended victim and make them public. Details such as residential address, social security number, credit card details, and so forth. Once these details are made public, the chances of these individuals falling victim to internet scams are high. These types of criminal activities are carried out to take revenge or destroy their privacy.
Encouraging self-harm
One of the worst types of cyberbullying is encouraging victims to indulge in self-harm. These cybercriminals will incite their victims to self-harm and, at times, may even suggest committing suicide.
Warning Signs Of Being Cyberbullied
There are different kinds of cyberbullying, and the effects they have will vary from individual to individual, from children to adults. The signs of online bullying is mentioned below
Depression
Depression is one of the major signs of cyberbullying. Victims suffering from depression will usually lack enthusiasm and lose interest in those activities that they used to enjoy and cherish. They also spend much more time sleeping.
Avoidance of Social Situations
Individuals will isolate themselves from society. They avoid visiting social gatherings and would prefer to spend the time all alone.
Using Less Devices
They will spend less time online. They will avoid spending time on social media platforms and other messaging apps. Paying attention to these changes can confirm that the individual is going through a hard time but avoids speaking about it.
Secrecy
There is a remarkable difference in the way these individuals behave. They appear to be more secretive and avoid any conversation altogether. They can be hiding the fact that they are victims of cyberbullying.
Heightened emotions
Victims of cyberbullying have a difficult time processing and expressing their emotions. Getting frustrated and furious when online might be a sign of online bullying. If someone is unusually happy all the time, then they could be the one victimizing someone else.
Social Media Account
If someone is canceling all their social media accounts, then there are chances that the person might be victimized by cyberbullying.
Suspicious Photos
See if you find any suspicious photos of your child or someone you know on social media platforms that are embarrassing. Also, check if they are not the ones who are spreading this content online.
Hurtful Comments
Check if your child or someone you know has made hurtful comments on their social media platforms or messaging apps. Such comets can have a serious effect on that individual.
Tips to Protect Yourself from Being Cyberbullied
If you are a parent and your child displays any of the following symptoms, there’s a chance that your youngster has been the victim of cyberbullying. Children are embarrassed and fear that their parents might take away their online privileges, so they are scared to involve them if they are being bullied.
If you know of any individual who also exhibits the same symptoms that we have mentioned, then you need to be supportive. If these individuals are adults, they will shun the idea of getting help from someone else to solve their problem.
In both cases, you must tell them that bullying is quite common and that you must learn to let go of it. They should focus their attention somewhere productive instead of feeling miserable. Such feelings, when exhibited, give these cybercriminals a sense of achievement, which is exactly what they want from them.
Final Thought
It is hard to understand the effect of cyberbullying on an individual. For the bully, they enjoy making their victim suffer. As a society, stronger actions are required, and we must react before these victims harm themselves.
If you know anyone victimized by such types of internet bullying, ensure that you take corrective steps and take them for counseling to regain their lost confidence.
