FINAL ESSAY

Old wine in a new bottle?

The advancement in technology available in modern society has provoked significant concern and research among experts and community bodies. “Is modern technology desensitising Gen Y to violence, sexual abuse and humiliation? Is it feeding a growing culture of cruelty? Is modern technology normalising otherwise unacceptable behaviour?” (is this generation).

Technology has instigated the transfiguration of our means of information sharing. Now increasingly accessible, technology has created a domain for youth in which bullying and cruelty is rampant. “Technology has turned the traditional image of the bully waiting at the school gates on its head. Now a 24-hour, wireless, faceless, version 2.0 of the school bully hides behind text messages, MySpace, YouTube and social networking sites” (Dubecki 2006).

The term Cyber Bullying implies the willful and recurring act of inflicting harm and harrassment on others by the medium of electronic text: instant messaging, email, text messages, mobile phones, blogs, pagers and websites (Stutzky).

‘The stealthy nature of the Internet can motivate some youth to do and say things on-line that they would never attempt in person or face to face with another student” (National School Safety Centre, 2006). “The perpetrator can choose to remain anonymous but the victim's humiliation is compounded by the often very public nature of the bullying” (Dubecki 2006).

Modern interactive, networking technologies allows today’s youth 24 hour access to one another so that when tension and disputes do surface, they can bully their peers with ease through these electronic devices without reprimand from adult figures (Simmons 2003).

“The aim of bullies is power, control, domination and subjugation” (Bully Online 2007). Exercising dominance and power over their victims, bullies gain an immoral and vicious sensation of satisfaction (Bully Online 2007).

Perpetrators of bullying are inclined to use whatever media is available. Just as the types of medium that they adopt are diverse, so too are the methods that they use. “Texting derogatory messages on mobile phones…sending threatening emails, and forwarding a confidential email to all address book contacts” are all methods of cyber bullying, so is the practice of setting up an insulting web site targeted at a particular student and then emailing others the address. “Web sites can be set up for others to vote on the biggest geek, or sluttiest girl in the school” (Snider & Borel, 2004 in Campbell 2005, p.2). Attacking victims with spam email messages, computer viruses and conducting online impersonations of the bully’s victim are also forms of cyber bullying (David S. Wall 2001, p.141).

“Now treated as a distinct form of social aggression, the consequences include acute anxiety, depression, truancy, self-harm, eating disorders and, in extreme cases, suicide” (Dubecki 2006). These severe effects are illustrated in the case of 17 year old Kentucky girl, Rachel Neblett, who is alleged to have taken her life with a shot gun after experiencing harassment via her Myspace page. It is also demonstrated in a case in New Zealand whereby multiple teenagers were accused of being the distinct cause of a 12 year old girl’s suicide, by attacking her with menacing and aggressive text messages. (Dubecki 2006).

Characteristics of the personal computer, allow for cyber bullies to exploit these modern electronic technologies with immoral intentions. “They can hide behind some measure of anonymity…which perhaps frees them from normative and social constraints on their behavior” (Patchin & Hinduja 2006). False names employed in chat rooms, and instant messaging programs and the availability of short-term email accounts provokes difficulty in exposing the rightful identity of antagonists. “It seems that cyber-bullies might be encouraged when using electronic means to carry out their antagonistic agenda because it takes less energy and courage to express hurtful comments using a keypad or a keyboard than with one’s voice” (Patchin & Hinduja 2006).

Another feature of today’s technologies which has contributed to the emergence of the cyber bullying viral phenomenon is the lack of supervision. In regards to insulting, inappropriate content present in text messaging and electronic mail, there is no monitoring system present to censor this behaviour. Despite efforts to monitor conversations in chat rooms, personal messages, only seen by the sender and recipient, are beyond authoritarian control (Patchin & Hinduja 2006).

From 1500 Internet-using adolescents who partook in a 2005 study by Hinuja and Patchin, over one-third disclosed that they had fallen victim to bullying via electronic technologies, whilst a staggering 16% pleaded guilty to having engaged in cyber bullying on their own behalf. It was revealed that of these victimized, 18% were bullied through name-calling, 40% were disrespected, 12% were physically threatened, and 5% feared their safety (Hinduja & Patchin). In accordance with the National Children’s Home charity survey conducted in 2005 of 770 youth between 11 and 19, 73% were conscious of the aggressor’s identity whilst 26% stated their bully was a stranger (National Children's Home 2005).

The cultural shift which has seen the youth of today engaged intensively with computers and mobile phones, has seen the emergence of a technology which has “the capacity to quickly, efficiently and anonymously deliver messages of ridicule, put-downs, threats and exclusion throughout a ‘connected’ community” (Nickson).

Being able to easily “obtain an anonymous web-based e-mail address”, create a website, and “given the number of sites that allow you to send free SMS messages”, cyber bullies operate under minimal risk of being caught (Nickson). The developing complex nature of modern mobile phones of now being able to call, text, instant message, have internet access, mp3s and videos also adds to the growing cyber bullying phenomenon.

The modern behaviour of having the cellular phone on the person at all times sees spiteful, unsolicited actions such as harassing, threatening and insulting text messaging and telephone conversations emerge. Text messaging poses as “pervasive and intrusive, a much deeper violation” as emails and online users can be obstructed, yet youth keep their mobile phones on their person enabling them to receive texts instantaneously (Nickson).

Myspace, that has accrued 54 million users in just three years (Powel 2006), “is a cyber social phenomenon that elicits a full spectrum of reactions - from pure delight to disgust, addiction to downright hatred” (Staats 2006). This very public social networking site, encompassing music, videos, personal profiles, photo galleries, blogs, chat rooms and instant messages (Staats 2006) , sees the posting of cruel gossip and rumours, harassing antics and racial insults for millions worldwide to view (Powel 2006).

Kathleen Gardner, mother of 13 year old epileptic daughter Olivia of Novato, was utterly shocked and traumatized after learning of the "Olivia Haters" club pages created by fellow Hill Middle School classmates (Staats 2006).

YouTube is the latest concern as more than 65 000 videos are uploaded daily for worldwide viewing, capturing humiliation, degradation and cruelty on an enormous scale (Haywood 2006). This site has recently be banned from 1600 Victorian public schools after a video featuring 10 male students attacking a teenage girl was uploaded onto YouTube (The Australian News 2007).

The father of the assaulted 17 year old confirmed his daughter encountered two young men in a chat room and arranged to meet them in person. Months later the young men and several other males filmed themselves harassing, assaulting and humiliating the girl on video and allegedly sold the tapes in Melbourne High School and uploaded the film on various internet sites (ABC News 2006).

Due to cyber bullies lacking in-person communication skills, the “impersonal nature of email” and Instant Messaging is perfect for oppressors to terrorize and intimidate their victims with ease and minimal effort (Bully Online 2007). Passwords being stolen in order to access other’s personal accounts and profile pages are actions that cause the development of “forums where students vote for the ugliest, fattest or most hated person in school” (Dubecki 2006).

Although there are positive areas regarding modern technologies, “socially-anxious individuals being able to communicate better and deeper self-disclosure between people have been claimed” (Kraut et al 2002; McKenna & Barge 1999 in Campbell 2005), the fact still remains that technology has caused the unwanted emergence of a new face of bullying. As long as advancements in electronic devices continue, cyber bullying and its severe, disquieting and brutal effects will develop and worsen.

REFERENCES

JOURNALS

Patchin, J. W. & Hinduja, S. (2006). ‘Bullies move beyond the schoolyard: A preliminary look at cyberbullying’, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, vol.4, no.2, 148-169.

Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. ‘Cyberbullying: An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Related to Offending and Victimization’, Deviant Behavior.

Staats, Jim 2006. ‘MySpace.com: Why parents and cops fear a hot site's dark side’, Marin Independent Journal.

Campbell, Marilyn. A 2005. ‘Cyber Bullying: An old problem in a new guise?’ Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00001925/01/1925.pdf

BOOKS

Wall, David.S 2001, Crime and the Internet, Routledge, London.


ARTICLES

Dubecki, Larissa 2006, ‘Technological trauma: cyber bullies more powerful than schoolyard thugs’, The Age, http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/technological-trauma-cyber-bullies-more-powerful-than-schoolyardthugs/2006/10/27/1161749315262.html.

Nickson, Chris, Cyber Bullying: The Dangers and the Cures, Heartland News,
http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/story.asp?S=4944916

Haywood, Ben 2006, ‘Totally tubular technology: Issues in the news: YouTube’, The Age, http://www.theage.com.au/news/education-news/totally-tubular-technology/2006/10/27/1161749321299.html?page=2

2007, ‘YouTube banned in Victorian schools’, The Australian News, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21306209-1702,00.html

Powell, Kimmy 2006, ‘The Facts About Myspace’, Bigbruin,
http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews05/article.php?item=myspace&file=1

Simmons, Rachel 2003, ‘Online bullying the next challenge for the web masters’, The Age,
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/06/1065292524799.html

ABC News 2006, ‘DVD of girl attack sparks cyber-bullying warning’, ABC News Online,
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1772378.htm

WEBSITES

National School Safety Centre, 2006, Meet Hilda Clarice Quiroz: Keynote Presenter, Program Developer and Training Specialist, http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:qh00S-_NaJAJ:www.schoolsafety.us/pubfiles/talking_with_hilda_about_bullying.pdf+has+technology+created+bullying&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=au

Bully Online 1997-2007, Bullying by mobile phones and abusive text messages, http://www.bullyonline.org/related/mobile.htm

Be Safe Online 2002, Bullying online,
http://www.besafeonline.org/English/bullying_online.htm

National Children’s Home 2005, Putting U in the picture. Mobile Bullying Survey 2005,
http://www.nch.org.uk/uploads/documents/Mobile_bullying_%20report.pdf


Stutzky, Glenn, Cyber Bullying Information, http://www.ippsr.msu.edu/Documents/Forums/2006_Mar_CYBER_BULLYING_INFORMATION_2006%20--%20Provided%20by%20Mr.%20Glenn%20Stutzky.pdf