What Is A Hidden Cyber Bully?
the ever growing arsenal of the hidden cyberbully. Taunting their intended victims through maliciously created photo images and making horrific slurs with the intent to cause public injury, the hidden cyberbully feels empowered through this form of aggression.
Bullying has led to real consequences; from fights to suicides, or what some label “bullycides.” Some states are now beginning to take action with tougher new laws targeting those who use electronic means to bully. But the problem is still getting the police to intervene even though there are laws put into place by the individual states. Cyberbullies would not say to their victim’s face, what they write on the internet. Cyber stalkers rarely physically stalk their intended victim. Their hidden status is to instill fear and cause the person they are bullying, emotional duress. Compounding the frustration, some victims do not report the hidden bully. This is an emerging public-health problem that definitely needs some serious attention. “Girlfight” videos have become so ubiquitous that the search term “girlfight” brings up thousands of videos on YouTube.
“You’re bullied twice,” says Nancy Willard, author of Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens and Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats. ” You’re bullied in the real world with a physical attack, and then you’re bullied online with humiliation. It’s very hurtful. Very, very hurtful.” Cyberbullying can be even more destructive than face-to-face bullying “because you get a sense that the whole world is being exposed to what is being said to you.”
Why does the hidden cyberbully get away with their abusive behaviour? The answer is quite simple, really. More awareness needs to come about with regards to cyberbullying and cyber stalking. Many website owners just want to pass the buck by claiming they are all about representing the “freedom of speech”. Unless there is an actual contact link or telephone number to speak to someone directly regarding hateful, malicious content posted by a hidden cyberbully, it is nearly impossible to get the content removed. Even when there is a contact link or phone number, your only resource is to continue to pesty the website owner until they either ban the hidden cyberbully or pull down the malicious content. There is a real need for more anti-bullying programs to bring further awareness to the general internet public about this ever increasing problem. For those who make the statement that “bullying is just a part of every day life”, you might as well be saying that “rape is a part of marriage”. It’s absurd at the notion that this form of abusive behaviour is acceptable. It isn’t.
Many who have grown up with the victims of hidden cyberbullies, agrees with the sentiment. “It’s not that bullying is any worse today,” says Nancy Willard. “The impulse for cruelty is the same impulse. The only difference is that the tools to achieve that have become more sophisticated.”
But all the attention over cyberbullying is a double-edged sword. In one respect, America is finally waking up. And yes, it’s due in large part to the Internet. The flipside of that is it’s also motivating a lot of people to be meaner to each other. Because in the mind of the hidden cyberbully, it is such a cool tool to show off how mean they can be.
**Author: Dee Gerrish, @2009.**
**Selected References**:
Garandeau, C. F., Wilson, T., & Rodkin, P. C. (in press). The popularity of elementary school bullies in gender and racial context. In S. R. Jimerson, S. M. Swearer, & D. L. Espelage (Eds.), The international handbook of school bullying. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Rodkin, P. C., & Ahn, H-J. (2008). Social networks derived from affiliations and friendships, multi-informant and self-reports: Stability, concordance, placement of aggressive and unpopular children, and centrality. Social Development.
Rodkin, P. C., & Berger, C. (2008). Who bullies whom? Social status asymmetries by victim gender. International Journal of Behavioral Development.
Berger, C., Karimpour, R., & Rodkin, P. C. (2008). Bullies and victims at school: Perspectives and strategies for primary prevention. In T. W. Miller (Ed.), School violence and primary prevention (pp. 287-314). New York: Springer.
Rodkin, P. C., & Hanish, L. D. (Eds.). (2007). Social network analysis and children’s peer relationships. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rodkin, P. C., & Wilson, T. (2007). Aggression and adaptation: Psychological record, educational promise. In P. H. Hawley, T. D. Little, & P. C. Rodkin (Eds.),