Cyberbullying is the use of communication devices, such as the Internet (forums, blogs, social networking sites, video posting, etc.), instant messaging, texting, or email to harm an individual or a group. Such harm can include, but is not limited to: harassment, humiliation, ridicule, and threats.
Cyberbullying has a very powerful connotation. What many do not understand though is that there are different levels of cyberbullying. In some cases, a person, or people, are ignorant and do not know what the consequences of their actions could entail. In other situations though, people can be deliberately threatening and menacing, even putting the life of another in danger. In either circumstance, cyberbullying is intolerable. The value of any one person does not and should not in any way exceed that of another, and no matter what the reason, the harming of another person is unacceptable.
Examples of cyberbullying include:
· Forwarding private messages, pictures, or videos and therefore, compromising the privacy of the victim.
· Assuming a false identity on social networking sites in order to persistently harass others.
· Sending cruel or harassing emails or text messages that could be humiliating, threatening, or both.
· Posting hurtful or embarrassing posts on Facebook or any other social networking site (Twitter, Myspace, Formspring, Instagram, Snapchat, etc…).
· Name-calling over the Internet.
· Circulating sexually suggestive images to devalue a person’s existence and/or to humiliate him/her.
Although this list does not consist of all forms of cyberbullying, cyberbullying is any action done online that results in the harm of another, whether it be a physical or emotional, threat or action.
