Okay, I can understand that cyberbullying is common among teenagers and pre-teens. We are insecure. Period. But today, in a completely random tangent, my mother tells us that whenever she decides to post something on a certain message board (which shall henceforth remain nameless), she is continually harassed by other people which she actually recognizes.
Here are some of my hypothesises why cyberbullying is among adults. On the Internet, a person can assume a "screen name" or a fake name. This, essentially, grants these us a new persona, and we can truly be whoever we so desire. In real life, we are bound by our affiliations. Our friends know who we are, and that is almost impossible to change. On the Internet, we can create new people, with new names, and personalities that may not always match who we are in real life. Therefore, people think that they have true "freedom of speech", and can express their true thoughts and opinions -- even if they may not be polite.
This could also be that people have been de-sensitized from other's feelings. After doing a certain thing so many times, we become accustomed to it. If every every day I were to dump a tablespoon of sugar in my coffee, though it may be a little overbearing the first few days, but after a while, I adapt to the sugar, and I crave more. When people cyberbully, they show their insecurities. Though it may not be nice for them at first, they will not care after doing it several times. People have lost all respect for other's feelings. (Okay, that sounds a little sadistic, but it's just a theory.)
Both theories build one another. Because people assume different names, they think that they can get away with harassment and not get caught. People who make names like this for themselves hide under a shield of the Internet. But anything can be hacked -- there is no foolproof protection.
2 comments:
It's well-known that anonymity can breed a large amount of anti-social behavior -- look at how rude people are when driving (when you can't identify the person, nor is it likely you'll ever see them again). In the cases of web fora, people actually do develop known personae, and one can lose his/her anonymity...and people still act rudely. There is a lesser level of anonymity in this case. In this case, it's usually the physical distance that lets people get away with acting like sociopaths.
I've found, after having participated in these types of interactions for like 25 years, from the days of dial-up BBS, through usenet, until now, is that people act much differently based upon whether or not they feel they'll ever see you in person, or if they have--anonymity or distance aside. Most of the puffery and flamage that goes on in these online fora would never be said face-to-face. (Of course, there are exceptions: some people are rude all the time.) Cyberbullying, in this regard, is qualitatively different from regular in-person bullying, because the usual tactics that one can employ to "defang" a bully in person don't work at all online. ("On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog.")
The "usual tactics" you mentioned don't work in real life, either.
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