Online Harassment

Video credit:WHAT’S YOUR STORY? – featuring Tyler Joseph & posted by Amanda DeCardy on YouTube

Think

Do you have a line that you won't cross in your online communications?
- Yes. I don't want to hurt or embarrass anyone.
- No. I communicate my opinions freely.
- I've never thought about it.
It sounds like you have thought about the impact of your online communication. That's a great step in managing your "digital tattoo". Brush up on your respectful online communication strategies with this article from Wired.com!
While your opinions may be highly valued among many, you may want to be sure you're not bullying anyone online. Check the resources in the Explore section! Brush up on your respectful online communication strategies with this article from Wired.com!
You may be unaware that cyberbullying is a thing - with consequences for the victim and the bully. Brush up on your respectful online communication strategies with this article from Wired.com!
How might you react if you saw that someone you know was being attacked online?
- I would stay out of it. Not my problem.
- I would advise my friend (through a private message) what to do.
- I would weigh in, and hopefully make the bully think.
In one way, this is a good strategy - silence can be a good strategy not to feed the fire. On the other hand - a supportive message to your friend will help them feel like they have support if the bullying continues. Check out these additional strategies for helping victims of online bullying.
I'm sure your friend would appreciate the support. To ensure that you are giving your friend the best possible advice, visit cyberbullying.org .
If you feel you have the skills to be empathic towards the bully and support your friend at the same time, go for it! First, you may want to read up on cyberbullying , then it may be helpful to visit cyberbullying.org for concrete coping strategies.
If you were being bullied or harrassed online, what would you do?
- Tell a trusted friend - seek help.
- Confront my harasser and do some public shaming.
- Block the harraser on all of my social media.
Good call! It's easy to feel you are alone and vulnerable. Talking it out is a good first step. Then be sure to get the help you need to deal with it. See cyberbullying.org for a full list of strategies.
This would be against the advice of the experts at cyberbullying.org. You may end up in a nasty battle that will leave you feeling like both the victim and a bully.
Blocking is a good strategy. See cyberbullying.org for a full list of strategies.

Explore

The Amanda Todd case is a local example of cyberbullying with tragic consequences. On September 7, 2012, the 15 year old teen from Coquitlam, BC posted a YouTube video that features a series of handwritten cue cards depicting her “never ending story” as a victim of blackmail, cyberbullying, physical assault and self-harm. Tragically, Amanda Todd’s story ended in suicide.

What behaviors constitute “cyberbullying”?

Unfortunately, the definition of cyberbullying is not as narrow as some would like; the scope and forms of cyberbullying are quite wide. These include (but are not limited to) stalking behaviours, threats, harassment, impersonation, outing, or ‘doxxing’ (publication of personal information, generally for witch-hunting purposes).

The Cyberbullying Research Centre offers a useful definition of cyberbullying as:
“the willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.” They go on to highlight the important elements of this definition:

* Willful: The behavior has to be deliberate, not accidental.
* Repeated: Bullying reflects a pattern of behavior, not just one isolated incident.
* Harm: The target must perceive that harm was inflicted.
* Computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices: This, of course, is what differentiates cyberbullying from traditional bullying. (Excerpt from: Cyberbullying.org/What Is Cyberbullying?)

What can I do about it?

If you think you are being harrassed online, here are the Cyberbullying Research Centre’s Top 10 Tips for Responding to Cyberbullying.

If you need to follow-up with an online service provider, here is a helpful list of contacts.
If you think you might be a cyberbully, take this quiz to find out where you are headed.

How does it impact on my digital identity?

Think about what it says about you if someone were to read a mean tweet that you sent in haste or a facebook post intended to be hurtful to a person or group of people. Queen’s University students make a powerful statement about diversity in their reading of mean tweets on Facebook.

Would you want to befriend that person? If you were hiring someone, would you want to hire that person? Would you want that person to care for your kids or date your best friend?

On the other side of the line, bullying victims who take back their power and use a public form to educate a bully, can have a lasting and positive impact. Consider our story about Balpreet Kaur, responding to a potentially nasty Reddit thread or a recent (Dec, 2015) story about an east coast student’s response to cyberbullying that went viral. Ask the same questions above about these women.

Your digital identity formed, in part, by the choices you make.

Discuss

The Digital Tattoo Project encourages critical discussion on topics surrounding digital citizenship and online identity. There are no correct answers and every person will view these topics from a different perspective. Be sure to complete the previous sections before answering the questions.

In your opinion, is online harassment/cyberbullying a growing problem?
Have you ever directly witnessed online harassment? How did you react?

4 responses to “Online Harassment”

1985 October 18, 2020 at 11:37 am Permalink | Reply

I think cyberbullying is a growing problem. I have never witnessed an act of cyberbullying but if I ever witness any I would try to tell and adult and get help from him.
Anonymous October 8, 2019 at 10:30 am Permalink | Reply

Yes, I believe online harassment is a huge problem. Even though I have never been a victim or a cyberbully, I would always try to be an upstander in a situation like this.
Talena May 16, 2017 at 2:51 pm Permalink | Reply

Yes, I think cyber-bullying and online harassment has become a massive thing in this world. The amount of people doing self harm or killing themselves has been going up and up as the years progress.
I have witnessed direct online harassment, a friend of mine were playing an online game when a person had been starting fights and saying rude and uncalled for things to my friend.
I had kindly asked that he’d stop, I comforted my friend then we left the server.
Tj February 6, 2017 at 8:20 am Permalink | Reply

i do believe inter-web bullying is a problem, though I’ve never been a victim or bully. i would definitely help any of my friends if this were a problem for them.