Cyberbullying: Bullies Hiding Behind Screens

Do you think you’re safe at home? Give it a thought again. It is said that "if screens were mirrors, people might be able to see just how filthy they truly are." At some point in our lives, we must have come across someone who has been a victim of cyberbullying, or we may have been a victim ourselves as well. With technology being so readily available, cyberbullying has become a continual problem. But are we aware of what cyberbullying is? If we do, how is it affecting our lives? Cyberbullying is the good old bullying with a twist – and now it can reach its targets anywhere, anytime. It can be referred to any intentional harmful behaviour carried out by a group or an individual against people who are unable to defend themselves, repeated over time, using modern digital technologies. It takes place solely behind the mask of a username and a screen. With billions of users circulating throughout each network, social media has elevated cyberbullying to a whole new level. Not only does it go on after school, college or work, but it then carries through into the next day and the cycle continues. Bullies utilize social media as an avenue for persecution because it allows them to do so conveniently. A cyber-bully might be someone living right next to your door or someone from an entirely new country that you might not even recognize; it is up in the air. Nevertheless, what you can be certain of is that such people might go to any extent to make you feel hesitant and insecure about yourself. Posting abusive remarks or videos, conveying threats of violence or inciting someone to kill themselves, spreading rumours, or impersonating another person to cause them pain or embarrassment are all examples of what a cyber-bully would typically do.

For many people, cyberbullying affects their everyday lives and is a constant source of misery and distress. Most often, people start feeling insecure about themselves once they’ve become a target of cyberbullying. Withdrawal from family and spending a lot of time alone are a few of the other effects that cyberbullying might have on people going through it. Similarly, losing weight or changing appearance to try and fit in along with a personality change are all instances of how cyberbullying impacts a person's mental health. In this present world of increasing technologies and ways of communication, it is tough to escape all forms of cyberbullying, regardless of the platform you spend your time on. Once you know how to notice it and distinguish the negative behaviours, you'll have a far better chance of preventing trolls and bullies from influencing you and your attitude towards it. But, do you know how to do it? Check out my second blog to learn more about it!

-Prerna Rathi