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MAU's Story
Before we get going, I would actually like to share my story with you. I am MAU, and I am a victim of cyberbullying.
"Fat"
"Your ears are SO BIG, LMAO!."
"Your cheeks are so chubby, they look like they're about to pop off, LOL. Just kidding."
"Your eyes looks weird. Why do they look like that?"
These are some of the harsh comments I often get in social media. They made me feel so insecure and uncomfortable. Even if people commented those kinds of things as a joke, it still hurt my feelings. Because of these comments, I lose my confidence.
I once confronted one of them saying that I don't really feel good when they comment about my appearance, yet they said that I was just being too sensitive. Because of that, I invalidated my own feelings, and I became afraid of speaking up.
So today, I want you to know that I am here with you in this journey. I am here to guide you, to educate you, to help you speak up, and to help you grow.
Let us help ME and YOU towards dealing with the 'dark side' of technology. We're all in this together!
Are you ready to learn more? If yes, then click the button down below!
What is Cyberbullying?
It is a form of bullying that takes place on computers or other digital devices, such as smartphones. It frequently occurs through gaming, texting, email, instant messaging, and social networking. Cyberbullying frequently takes the form of sending or disseminating embarrassing or harmful content about someone. As the digital environment has grown and technology has improved, it has become more common, especially among youth.
Types of Cyberbullying
EXCLUSION
Exclusion is the act of excluding someone. It is a factor in both online bullying and physical bullying scenarios in where a victim is targeted. For instance, your child may be shut out of message threads or chats involving mutual friends, or they might be uninvited to events while they witness other friends receiving one.
HARRASMENT
In general, it refers to a consistent pattern of hurtful or threatening online messages made with the purpose to harm someone.
OUTING/DOXING
Outing, also referred to as doxing, is the act of publicly disclosing private or sensitive information about someone without that person's consent in an effort to embarrass or humiliate them. This can include sharing saved personal conversations in an online private group or disseminating private images or papers of public figures.
TRICKERY
Trickery is similar to outing, but with an addition of deception. In these circumstances, the bully will approach their target and deceive them into believing they are safe and can be trusted.. Once the bully obtains the target's trust, they take advantage of it by disclosing the victim's secrets and personal information to one or more third parties with the use of online platforms.
CYBERSTALKING
Cyberstalking is a particularly serious form of cyberbullying that includes threats of actual physical attack to the targeted victim. It may include monitoring, false allegations, and threats, and it often involves offline stalking. It is a crime, and the perpetrator may face a restraining order, probation, or possibly be in jail.
FRAPING
Fraping happens when a bully posts offensive and inappropriate content using a person's name on social media accounts. For instance, a bully posting homophobic or racial remarks through another person's profile to harm that person's reputation.
MASQUERADING
Masquerading takes place when the aggressor creates a fake profile or identity online with the sole purpose of bullying someone online. This can include choosing a new identity and set of images to deceive the victim, as well as creating a false email account and social media presence. In these situations, the bully is frequently someone the victim knows well.
DISSING
Dissing is the act of a bully disseminating derogatory information about their victim through public posts or private messaging in an effort to harm their reputation or interpersonal connections. In these circumstances, the bully frequently knows the victim personally, either as a friend or an acquaintance.
TROLLING
Trolling is done by a bully making offensive comments online who wants to annoy others. While trolling may not necessarily be considered a form of cyberbullying, it can be utilized as a tool of cyberbullying when done with malicious and damaging intent. These bullies typically have little personal connection to their victims and are more disengaged from them.
FLAMING
This kind of cyberbullying consists of posting about or sending insults and vulgar language to the subject directly. Similar to trolling, flaming usually involves a more direct attack on the target in an effort to provoke an online quarrel.
Causes and Effects
There are many causes of cyberbullying that leads to negative effects on the victim's well-being. It may cause long-lasting emotional side effects, even if the bullying has stopped. Here are some of the causes and effects;
Causes
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Revenge
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Jealousy
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Lack of parental guidance
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Lack of empathy
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Desire to create attention
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Intention to gain control over individuals
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Caved under peer pressure
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Differences with each other
Effects
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Low self-esteem
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Depression
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Loneliness
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Increased levels of stress and anxiety
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Development of suicidal thoughts
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Mental illness
What Our Expert Says
"If you just keep it to yourself, it will remain there."
Mr. Jay Diaz
Head of the Guidance Unit of PRMSU
Cyber bullying occurs in the world wide web, which composes social media platforms, instant messaging services and on multiplayer games. Aside from these there are other platforms that cyber bullying can occur as those are used to connect people through the internet.
While on the internet, one can be anonymous or can make multiple accounts just to bully someone. With these privilege of being unknown to the victim, these trolls or bullies can torment anyone with out being caught.
Though some trolls or bullies are not afraid to be known because they know they can't be punished or would just get a light judgement for their offense. Or sometimes they have the means and connections that they will use once caught.
Engr. Joseph Nicholai B. Nemil
Security Solutions Engineer
The toll that cyberbullying takes on mental health can be devastating. Some became anti-social and somewhat scared with dealing/interacting with other people. The victims develop over time anxiety and low self-esteem. On extreme instances, victims would rather choose to die rathe than to report what is happening to them.
What you can do
Try avoiding interactions with the bullies; they just want attention. Do not let them get into your head.
Be confident. Remember that you are perfect just the way you are. Bullies often prey on people they think are weak to gain power over them.
Do not be afraid of speaking up. If you just keep things to yourself, it will just remain there. Never invalidate your feelings.
Be aware and educate yourself, as well as the people around you.
About us
Hello! We are MAU's friends; the crew behind Help MAU - Help me and U!
We are Grade 11 STEM students from Regional Science High School III that aims to create a safe digital environment for everyone by educating people through providing knowledge. This website serves as a tool that allows us to reach our goals.
We are here to help you be aware, and to let you know that you should not be afraid to speak up, and that you are not alone because we're all in this together.
All the love, MAU's friends.
References
Eduzaurus. (n.d.). Exploring the causes and effects of cyber-bullying. Retrieved from https://eduzaurus.com/free-essay-samples/exploring-the-causes-and-effects-of-cyber-bullying/
Riiroo. (2022). Cyberbullying: Causes, effects, and remedies. Retrieved from https://riiroo.com/blogs/health-and-wellbeing/cyberbullying-causes-effects-and-remedies
Securly. (2018). The 10 types of cyberbullying. Retrieved from https://blog.securly.com/10/04/2018/the-10-types-of-cyberbullying/?fbclid=IwAR0pZws4JRgdI7mFO6BzbkM_DhMxZ-IhucsCJg5ngO3Tc7b6oPzW3Q7Acu4