Center Spread - December 2011Content and Design by Emily Yip

Cyberbullyingincludesthetransmissionofcommunications,post-ingofharassingmessages,directthreats,orotherharmfultexts,sounds,orimagesontheInternet,socialnetworkingsites,orotherdigitaltechnologiesusingatelephone,computer,oranywirelesscommunicationdevice.Cyber-bullyingalsoincludesbreakingintoanotherperson’selectronicaccountandassumingthatperson’sidentityinordertodamagethatperson’sreputation.

Social networking sites, like Facebook and MySpace, are common sources of

cyberbullying. On April 28, 2011, the Los Gatos Patch reported that 25% of students

aged 11-18 have been cyberbullied. One reason for the increase in cyberbullied

social networking users is the ease with which perpetrators can post anonymously

or under a alias. Sites like Formspring were originally created to allow for users to

ask questions and receive “honest” answers. However, the power of anonymity was

soon abused as users began to post degrading comments on other people’s pages.

Even on more open sites like Facebook, cyberbullying still occurs, often through cre-

ation of pages that contain disparaging posts and humiliating photos. Furthermore,

sites like Youtube feature a dislike button, which creates yet another simple method

to cyberbully. Even though one single dislike may not seem like a soul crusher, an

accumulated number of these “thumbs down” can easily lead people to hop on the

bandwagon to target certain people or groups. Social networking sites also poten-

tially allow for more damaging cyberbullying as personal information on facebook

walls or various profiles are available for a many to see, even non-friends. With the

advent of social networking sites, cyberbullying has become more popular, with 1 in

5 teenagers admitting to having cyberbullied before.

Severe cyberbullying is easy to identify--people recognize it when they see it. Mild cyberbullying, on the other hand, can be difficult to distinguish due to simi-larities with teasing and trolling for fun. What may be teasing for one person could be cyberbullying for another. An issue with teasing online is that the teaser may think they are just troll-ing or having fun but the one being teased may interpret it differently. Cyberbully-ing has a natural tendency to only become more severe; rarely does cyberbullying lessen in intensity. Thus, sometimes people don’t realize that they have crossed the boundary between having fun and cyberbullying.

Emotional DisconnectionBecauseofthenatureofadelayedresponseincyberbullying,thereislessemotionalattachmentincyberbullying.SeniorAliceZhengsays“Todaywithnewformsofcommunication,thereisadisregardtoemotionalfeelings.Thereisaseveringofemotionalties.”FreshmenOmaSkyrussays“Since[cyberbullies]arenottalkingfacetoface[they]areabletosaymorethingswithoutanimmediateresponse.”Withoutseeingthepainofthevictim,cyberbullieslessrestrictedintheiractions.

Anyone Can Be a CyberbullyWhileold-fashionedbullyingwasusuallycarriedoutbymajoritygroupsorbythekidswithmorepower,cyberbulliescanbeanyone.“Inasense,theinternetlevelstheplayingfieldforallperpetratorsandvictimsofcyberbullying.“Theperpetratorscanbeanyone,”saysSkyrus.

The Media of TextWhileverbalcommunicationcarriesinflection,inflectionislostinonlinetext.Thusanotherissueofcyber-communicationisthetransferofsarcasmorconnotationthroughtext.Althoughsomethingssaidintextmaybeintendedasajoke,themes-sagemaynotcarrythesarcasticconnotationthroughtothereader.Thereforethefinelinebetweenjokingandbullyingisblurredevenmoreonline.

PublicityandAnonymityLookingatthelackofprivacyassociatedwithcyberbullying,juniorAndrewSchil-lingsays,“Cyberbullyingisinescapable.Whereasconventionalbullyingishurtful,itrarelyisintrusiveintoone’slifeoutsideofschool.Withtheadventofsocialnet-workingsites,likeFacebook,cyberbullyingisalsofarmorepublicthantraditionalbullying.Finally,cyberbullyingcanoftenbedonemoreanonymouslyormorepassive-aggressivelythantypicalbullying.”JuniorJamesGarciaagrees,simplyadding,“Everyoneandtheirbrothercansee[cyberbullying]online.”Closelywiththisisthefactthatcyberbullyinggivesperpetratorsthechancetoactanonymously.“Cyberbullyingcanbeanonymous,soit’smorecowardly,”saysjuniorKatieBarnes.Inmanycasesofcyberbullyingsuchastheanonymousquestioninter-faceofFormspring,cyberbulliesdonotneedtobenamed.

PercentageofStudentswhoclaimedtohavecyberbullied

Yes

No

17%

83%

Student opinions on how well Aragon Administration responds to cyberbullying.

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Not at all

Not Enough

Neutral

Strongly

Very Strongly

To what extent do Aragon students agree with the statement that, “There is an increase of cyberbullying and a

decrease of old-fashion bullying.”

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Somewhat

Agree

Strongly Agree 20 boys and 33 girls have been cyberbullied out of the 53 stu-dents that responded “yes.”

No80%

Not at all

Phoebe Prince PhoebePrince,a15-year-oldIrishimmigrantandfreshmanatSouthHadleyHighSchoolinMas-sachusetts,wasbulliedrelentlesslythroughFacebook,Twitter,Craigslist,andFormspring.OnJanuary14,2010,Princecommittedsuicide.Herdeathspurredaninvestigationofcyberbullyingasacriminaloffense,andnineSouthHadleystudentswereindictedasadultsonfelonycharges.OnMay3,2010,thestateofMassachusettspassednewanti-bullyinglegislaturewhichdefinescyberbullyingashostilebehaviorthatdisruptslifeatschoolorathomeandrequiresschoolstoprovideplansforpreventionandintervention.

The Cyber Hoax, Megan Meier On October 16, 2006, a 13-year-old girl by the name of Megan Meier committed suicide in Missouri. Lori Drew, the mother of Meier’s former friend, had created a false MySpace profile and fabricated a potential crush in order to befriend and then humiliate Meier for spreading gossip about her daughter. The last message Meier received before hanging herself read “the world would be a better place without you.” The case sparked support for legisla-tion against internet harassment, and in 2008, Missouri passed the “Cyber Harassment” law, extending the crime of harassment to include bullying through computers and phones and increasing the penalty from a misdemeanor to a felony.

Would outlawing cyberbullying be a violation of the first amendment?

In2008,Californiawasoneofthefirststatestopasslegislatureaimeddirectlyagainstcyberbullying;itgaveschoolauthoritiesthepowertodisciplinestudentsforonlinebullying.However,suchspecificactionhasyettobetakenatafederallevel.TheFederalAnti-Cyber-StalkingActof2008promptedsupportforlegislationaimedmorepreciselyatcyberbullying,andthesameyear,CongresswomanLindaSanchezofCaliforniapro-posedthe“MeganMeierCyberbullyingPreventionAct,”whichwouldcriminalizetheuseofelectroniccommu-nicationtoharass,intimidate,orcausesubstantialdistressintheUnitedStates.However,thebillhasreceivedcriticismfrommanywhobelieveitwouldviolatetheFirstAmendment.TheFirstAmendmentestablishestheconstitutionalrightofthefreedomofspeech,butthedifferencebetweenon-linespeechandhatecrimeshasyettobefederallydetermined. InMarchof2010,aCaliforniaappealscourtwasfacedwiththisfundamentaldistinction.A15-year-oldstudentofHarvard-WestlakeSchoolinLosAngeleshadcreatedawebsitetopromotehisdreamofbecom-inganactorandsinger.Manyotherstudentsoftheprivatehighschoolmockedhisperceivedsexualorientationandpostedhurtfulcomments.ThelocalpolicedeterminedthatthestudentscouldnotbecriminallyprosecutedbecausetheywereentitledtofreespeechundertheFirstAmendment.Thefatherofthebulliedstudentthensuedsixstudentsforhatecrimes,defamation,andintentionalemotionalharassment.Incourt,onedefendantstatedthathiscommentswere“jocular”andshouldbetreatedasprotectedspeech.Directlyaddressingthisissue,theCaliforniacourtruledthatthreateningpostsorharmfulcommentspostedonlinearenotprotectedspeech. Inorderforthe“MeganMeierCyberbullyingPrevention”billtobecomefederallaw,Congresswouldlikelyhavetocometothesameconclusion.EvenifcyberbullyingisdeterminedtobeunprotectedbytheFirstAmendment,theconceptofcyberbullyingmayprovedifficulttodefine.Thevaguelanguageofthebillonlyhintsatissuesthatwouldundoubtedlyarise;ifcausing“substanialdistress”isacriminalact,thegravityofanygiven“distress”mustbedeterminedandaddressedaccordingtolaw.Wouldallcitizenssuddenlybeentitledtotherighttonotbeoffended? Statelawshaveencounteredalloftheseissues.Inresponsetotragedy,manystateshavepassedlawsthatcriminalizecyberbullying,buttheambiguityofthelegislationhasledtoevenmoredifficultyintheprocessofaddressingthisissue.In2010,thestateofNewJerseypassedthe“Anti-BullyingBillofRights,”alawspear-headedbythebullyingandsuicideof18-year-oldTylerClementi.Inadditiontorequiringschooldistricteducationoncyberbullyingpreventionmethodsandreinforcingthesuspensionorexpulsionofbullies,thelawalsoextendedschools’responsibilitytoaddresscyerbullyingthatoccursoffcampus. Althoughstudentsdonothavethefulllibertyoffreespeechwhileatschool,theFirstAmendment--asitstandsnow--doesprotectthespeechofthegeneralpublic.ManyareconcernedthattheextentofNewJersey’s“Anti-BullyingBillofRights”hasoversteppedthisconstitutionalpropriety.Notonlyareadministratorswaryofrestrictingtheserights,butmanyexecutivesofNewJerseySchoolsarealsoconcernedbytheamountoftimeandresourcesneededtofulfillthelaw’srequirementsofconstantmonitoring.AsimilarlawinNewYorkwasdeemed“thetoughestcyberbullyinglawinthecountry”forthesheerseverityofitsconsequences.Underthisanti-cyberbullyinglegislation,anypersonwhoknowinglyparticipatesincyberbullyinghascommittedamisde-meanorpunishablebyafineofupto$1000and/orayearinjail--apenaltyequaltothatofaDUIoffense. AlthoughtheconcernoverstatelawsindicatesthataConstitutionalamendmentseemsimplausible,theissueofcyberbullyingcannotbeignored.Withthemediaage,anunprecedentedsourceofconflicthasappeared,andthelawmustadapt.ManyfoundationsintheUnitedStates,includingthoseinhonorofPhoebePrinceandMeganMeier,havepledgedtocontinuethesupportofafederalanti-cyberbullyinglaw.IntheUK,allstateschoolshavebeenrequiredtoaddresscyberbullyingsincetheSchoolStandardsandFrameworkActof1998,andwiththeirCommunicationsActof2003,cyberbullyingwasofficiallycriminalized.However,theseexampleshavereceivedjustasmuchcriticismasstatesideattempts.Thequestionremainsinhowthisissuewillbeaddressedinthefuture.

Cyberbullyingincludesthetransmissionofcommunications,post-ingofharassingmessages,directthreats,orotherharmfultexts,sounds,orimagesontheInternet,socialnetworkingsites,orotherdigitaltechnologiesusingatelephone,computer,oranywirelesscommunicationdevice.Cyber-bullyingalsoincludesbreakingintoanotherperson’selectronicaccountandassumingthatperson’sidentityinordertodamagethatperson’sreputation.

Emotional DisconnectionBecauseofthenatureofadelayedresponseincyberbullying,thereislessemotionalattachmentincyberbullying.SeniorAliceZhengsays“Todaywithnewformsofcommunication,thereisadisregardtoemotionalfeelings.Thereisaseveringofemotionalties.”FreshmenOmaSkyrussays“Since[cyberbullies]arenottalkingfacetoface[they]areabletosaymorethingswithoutanimmediateresponse.”Withoutseeingthepainofthevictim,cyberbullieslessrestrictedintheiractions.

Anyone Can Be a CyberbullyWhileold-fashionedbullyingwasusuallycarriedoutbymajoritygroupsorbythekidswithmorepower,cyberbulliescanbeanyone.“Inasense,theinternetlevelstheplayingfieldforallperpetratorsandvictimsofcyberbullying.“Theperpetratorscanbeanyone,”saysSkyrus.

The Media of TextWhileverbalcommunicationcarriesinflection,inflectionislostinonlinetext.Thusanotherissueofcyber-communicationisthetransferofsarcasmorconnotationthroughtext.Althoughsomethingssaidintextmaybeintendedasajoke,themes-sagemaynotcarrythesarcasticconnotationthroughtothereader.Thereforethefinelinebetweenjokingandbullyingisblurredevenmoreonline.

PublicityandAnonymityLookingatthelackofprivacyassociatedwithcyberbullying,juniorAndrewSchil-lingsays,“Cyberbullyingisinescapable.Whereasconventionalbullyingishurtful,itrarelyisintrusiveintoone’slifeoutsideofschool.Withtheadventofsocialnet-workingsites,likeFacebook,cyberbullyingisalsofarmorepublicthantraditionalbullying.Finally,cyberbullyingcanoftenbedonemoreanonymouslyormorepassive-aggressivelythantypicalbullying.”JuniorJamesGarciaagrees,simplyadding,“Everyoneandtheirbrothercansee[cyberbullying]online.”Closelywiththisisthefactthatcyberbullyinggivesperpetratorsthechancetoactanonymously.“Cyberbullyingcanbeanonymous,soit’smorecowardly,”saysjuniorKatieBarnes.Inmanycasesofcyberbullyingsuchastheanonymousquestioninter-faceofFormspring,cyberbulliesdonotneedtobenamed.

How big of a problem do you think cyberbullying is?

PercentageofAragonstudentswhohavebeen

cyberbullied

Yes20%

20 boys and 33 girls have been cyberbullied out of the 53 stu-dents that responded “yes.”

80%

Not at all Small Medium Large Huge

HELPfor victims of cyberbullying

The most primitive step in the preven-tion of cyberbullying is ensuring that one maintains self control

of the things one expresses towards other people. Remaining aware of the content released can inhibit the problem of cyberbullying before it has a chance to begin.

Seeking help from one’s school, counselor, or other trusted adults is important if the cyberbullying becomes severe. One should also retain all evidence involved with the cyberbullying such as dates, descriptions

and screen shots. If you or somebody you know is experiencing this, listed below are some resources that can help:

TEEN LINE: 310-855-HOPE(4673) or text them at, “TEEN” to 839863.STARVISTA: (650)-579-0350 // CALIFORNIA YOUTH CRISIS LINE: 1-(800)-843-5200

CENTERSPREAD BY: EMILY YIP & EDITORS

- OLIVIA MARCUS

Copyright 2011 The Aragon Outlook.All rights reserved.

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