Katelyn's Cyber Bullying Essay

Cyberbullying is when you use the Internet to hurt someone. The definition of cyber is of, relating to, or characteristic of the culture of computers, information technology, and virtual reality. Therefore, cyberbullying is using anything that has to do with cyberspace or technology to hurt someone else. There are so many different ways you can do this. You can send hurtful text messages, you can use email and instant messaging systems, there are chat rooms that can be used to bash others and there are voting sites that can be used to create votes such as who the ugliest girl in your school is. Then of course there are things like YouTube that can be used to post humiliating videos of people and it is very easy to put up horrible pictures of people too.

There are many different reasons why people bully others. Maybe they feel bad about themselves and think hurting others will make them feel better. They could have been bullied themselves and so they think it gives them power. Bullying on the Internet can feel anonymous. Bullies will hide behind screen names and will block their numbers from you so you can not see who they are. They might pretend to be someone else. Doing this makes them believe they can control what others think. They think they can not get caught.

People who are being abused online can sometimes figure out who their tormentor is. When someone is on the computer they often use the same words and phrases that they do in person. Sometimes the person talks about things they have done and you can use these things to try and figure out who they are. You should ask yourself if this person sounds like someone you know.

When you're on the Internet you should keep your email address, instant messaging screen name, and phone numbers private from anyone that is not your close friend. You should not forward any emails unless you have the permission of the person that wrote the email. Never open a message from someone you do not know and do not reply to a bully if they send you a email or any other kind of message. You should not post any pictures of yourself online; however if you want to make sure you check with an adult before you do so. You should also never put pictures of your friends on the Internet unless they give you their permission. If someone has been sending you mean messages you should print it out to show it to an adult. Make sure to delete the message afterwards.

There are a lot of people who have had to suffer through cyberbullying. There will probably be many more. Cyberbullying can happen anywhere and anytime. It may be happening right now. Maybe someone you know was once bullied over the internet, maybe you yourself have sent a nasty email to someone. The best thing you can do if you are feeling angry is type up your feelings and what you want to say and save it. You should leave it for at least a day and then re-read it. That will give you time to calm down. You should ask yourself if its worth it or if there might be a better way. There is always something you can do to help yourself or to help others.