Title of the article: The Rise of Cyber Bullying
Source: Reader Digest May Issue
Page: 115 – 119
Title of the reflection: Cyber bullying
Done By: Lin Zi Ying(17)
Advanced technology was introduced so as to improve people’s life and to make our work easier. But it is often being abused. When they are been abused, used with bad intentions or in the wrong place, troubles followed as well. Cyber Bullying is started because of the wide use of computer with internet access in the wrong way.
The option to stay anonymous when online was there to encourage those shy and timid people to speak up in the cyber world. But it became one of the advantages of bullying people online nowadays. Those intended bullies could do anything to the victims without revealing their real identity. The poor victim would have nowhere to find the bullies and seek no chance to react to the bullies.
Children and teenagers are the one who often suffer from this type of bullies. They usually could not do any thing to the bullies. They are still young and do not know the ways to protect themselves. Most choose to keep it with them, not willing to tell their parents or teachers for fear or embarrassment. As the fears and unhappy feelings accumulate over time, the children and teens are sure not able to take it. Most probably they would end their life like the example stated in the article. Both Ryan Halligan and Gail Jones were below 16 years old when they were suffering from cyber bullying. The two of them ended their life as they are unable to take the bullying.
Although cyber bullying is increasing in number, not much things were done to prevent it. After reading the article, I saw a few ways some countries established to solve cyber bullying. The US Congress passed a law making it a federal crime to”annoy abuse, threaten or harass” another person over the internet and the South Korea introduced “internet real-name system”.
Personally, I feel that the legislative action pass down in US states are not useful since it apply mainly to adults while in actual fact, most cyber bullies are teenagers. I think all country should access the same system as Korea, internet real-name system in order to protect the people against cyber bullying. It might not be really successful right now, but I believe it does help in cutting down the number of cyber bullying cases. At least, some of the bullies would stop their unreasonable acts since their real identity will be disclosed by the online portals if someone wants to sue them for libel or infringement or privacy.
After all, prevent cyber bullying and take legislative action is not something that can be done with one person working. It needs the whole world to participate and work together. Cyber world is not limited to one country only. It links people from every part of the world. Only when the entire world is working together, then there will be a solution to the rise of cyber bullying cases.