Blog Seven (REVISED): Cyber Bullying

In the past few years, the Internet has grown in use and importance in our daily lives. We rely heavily on it for doing many things nowadays like shopping or paying bills. While many things have become a great deal easier for us, a new problem has arisen mainly in the younger generation. Cyber bullying has become a great issue in the past few years. Cyber bullying is harassment through electronic means. Facebook, Formspring, Myspace, Twitter, Youtube and even instant messaging are different Internet mediums that have often been used for cyber bullying. It is a big problem that our society overlooks cyber bullying and does not take it seriously. Often we brush off cyber bullying and label it as “drama.” Danah Boyd in her article, The Drama! Teen Conflict, Gossip, and Bullying in Networked Publics, says this is why “For teens, sites like Facebook allow for similar performances in front of engaged audiences.” Not only is bullying on the Internet often very public, but it allows people to say things they normally would not because they do not have to say it to the person’s face. 

We read an article in class about a boy named Tyler Clementi. Tyler Clementi is an example of when cyber bullying can go to far. Clementi was an 18-year-old student at Rutgers University who committed suicide after a classmate live streamed a video of him engaging in sexual acts with another man. This story really shows how the Internet can be used to slander other people’s names where the entire public can see it with such damning evidence as video. Without the Internet stories like that of Clementi’s could not have happened. Clementi even wrote his goodbye on his Facebook wall, “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry."

Unfortunately Clementi’s case is not the first and is not the last. Just recently, another gay teen committed suicide due to cyber bullying. Jamie Hubley was bullied because of his sexuality. The fact that he was being cyber bullied only increased the severity of his depression. Jamie began to drink and cut himself because of his bullying, he would write about his problems on his blog. Jamie kept an ongoing blog on Tumblr (titled "You can't break...when you're already broken") where he wrote about his feelings. Often the posts he posted were depressing or just sad blurbs. On the Friday before his death he wrote on his Tumblr, “It’s so hard, I’m sorry, I can’t take it anymore.” He was found dead on Saturday.

What would have happened in this situation if Jamie’s parents had known about his Tumblr posts? Also if Jamie’s friends had seen these posts why did they not do anything about them? Often kids who are depressed try to seek help and are often ignored. Jamie obviously wanted someone to reach out to him, yet seemingly no one did. As Danah Boyd says in her article Overprotective parenting and bullying: Who is to blame for the suicide of Megan Meier? in today’s society “parenting today seems to require the absolute believe that you’re child is the best child ever”. Often parents will write off what could be cries for help from kids as normal teen drama. Yet in Jamie’s case, it would have been beneficial for someone to read his posts on Tumblr, and his parents could have been the ones to check in on him from time to time.

There are multiple different cases just like Clementi and Hubley’s. Cyber bullying is an issue that needs to be taken more seriously. It is harmful and kids need to be taught how to handle situations where cyber bullying is taking place. No one should have to suffer and pass what is really bullying off as drama. Parents need to take part in their children’s lives without being a helicopter over everything they do. Cyber bullying is a real issue that needs to be taken seriously.