Cyberbullying = a real problem or is it manufactured by media?
I’m sure we have all heard about cyber bullying and how it is “on the rise” and “spiralling out of control,” but is it really? What happens on the internet is hard to decipher whether it is bullying or if it is just drama. Contributing factors to this confusion are the facts that anything that occurs on the computer doesn’t ‘blow over’ as quickly as verbal or physical bullying does, people don’t forget as easily and cyber bullying is easier to commit.
John shared with us the findings of a study which showed that students say on average 25% are bullied once a week verbally or physically and cyber bullying had the smallest percent. So is the media reacting too strongly to cyber bullying? With studies showing cyber bullying is seemingly insignificant to other forms of bullying why is it such a focus of the media?
What are your thoughts?
Until my next post... JD
There was a recent story out of Winnipeg about cyber bullying; http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/teen-disappointed-in-response-to-his-defending-sister-against-cyber-bullies-1.1146814
ReplyDeleteI think it is important for us as educators to be aware of what is going on with students in the classroom and online.
Yes, I was quite shocked that cyber bullying was the lowest reported amongst students. This doesn't mean there isn't a problem with cyber bullying, no matter what the statistics show, as educators we do need to be well aware of what is happening online with our students.
ReplyDeleteDo I think cyber bullying is a problem? Yes. Do I think it is on the rise and becoming out of control? Not exactly. Bullying in any form isn't any worse than it ever has been, it is just that now people are more aware of the situation, and students are less afraid to come forward about it. Therefore, more cases are just being reported, which in a way is a good thing. The media does like to push things hard though, so I would have to say that the media does play a hand in it. Bullying is awful, and something should always be done about it, but not by scaring people through media outlets.
ReplyDeleteI think a big part of the cyber bullying issue is that it is a new form of bullying and because it can be tracked, it is more noticeable (in a way). The problem, as I see it, is that people have been so de-sensitized to the more traditional ways of bullying that they have focused all of the attention onto cyber bullying. What should be happening is a proactive approach to rid schools of ALL forms of bullying. Online bullying isn't any worse (as John noted) than the face-to-face bullying that still occurs in schools. Let's be aware of all bullying and make concerted efforts to stop it all!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lisa that online bullying isn't any worse than face-to-face bullying. Only because of the fact that this form of bullying is hardcopy evidence and victims can keep going back to view it, is the problem. Cyber-bullying is on the rise in the media world because the effects are longer lasting and spreading awareness about keeping a positive digital footprint is important in young students.
ReplyDeleteI was also shocked to hear that the actual cyber bullying stats were not as high as I expected. One question that that raised for me was how much of the face to face bullying stats were influenced by cyber bullying initiating real life interactions.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to see a more comprehensive breakdown of the bullying stats.
Delete8% cyber vs. 25% emotional + physical + verbal doesn't seem like a fair comparison. If we could see the percentages for just physical, just emotional, etcetera I think we'd get a more accurate picture of just how serious cyber bullying is.