Let’s talk about Cyber bullying.

Today I will be talking about cyber bulling. Does it sound familiar? Have you experienced it?

What is cyber bullying?

Cyber bullying could be described as bullying or harassment through the digital communication technology space. This happens mostly in social media space but can also occur in messaging platforms, gaming platform and mobile phones. It could also be described as unwarranted threats, aggressive behavior targeted at another person typically by an adult or a teenager with the intention to harm or hurt the person’s feelings.

Who is at Risk of Cyber bullying? Anyone could be bullied in the cyber space but in most cases cyber bulling is mostly experienced by celebrities, politicians and high profile individuals in the society. In most cases it is a targeted attempt to ruin the person’s image

The Forms of Cyber bullying;

 Cyber bullying comes in various forms and includes posting false news or rumors, posting the victim’s personal information, threats to victim’s life and hate speeches. It also comes as blackmail by the use of obscene information about the person such as sex tapes or any other of such information in the cyber space.

Cyber stalking is another form of cyber bullying. It’s a form of harassment that occurs online in which the victim is being stalked on via electronic communication media. This is creepy and it assumes a more dangerous level than other forms of cyber bulling. The stalker may send repeated threatening massages to the victim and could also encourage others to do so to the victim with the intent to harass or cause harm to the victim.

Trolling is another form of cyber bulling .This is mainly experienced by public figures and celebrities. The social media space is the most commonly utilized medium for internet troll labeled as ‘’key board warriors.”These trolls intentionally try to offend or provoke their victim in order to elicit their response. This could be done mischievously to get the attention of the victim or just for the fun of it. Often time trolls hide under unknown identity to perpetrate their evil intent.

Consequences of Bullying on Victims;

Victims of cyber bullying could suffer anger, frustration, anxiety and depression, low self esteem as well as suicidal thoughts. Some public figures and celebrities in the past have had to close their social media pages as a result of repeated cyber bullying in order to protect their mental and emotional wellbeing. This could also result to loss of visibility in the cyber space where most of these celebrities make their money and gain popularity.

How To Prevent Cyber Bullying

Knowing that anything put on the cyber space may be online forever, one need to be careful and think twice of the kind of information or post we make on the internet space.

Another way is to learn about the privacy settings in our social media platforms where we share this information. For instance, you can decide who sees your social media profile, send direct messages to you or even comment on your social media post by adjusting your privacy settings.

One can also report any threat to life or hurtful and derogatory speeches, photos and videos to the admin of the social media platform and request for them to be taken down. You could also block or restrict the bully or troll from viewing your page or seeing your posts.

I hope this piece is helpful?

Thanks for your time.