Cyberbullying vs. Traditional Bullying: Is Either Worse?
I've been reading into the differences between cyber bullying and offline bullying in relation to this day and age. Came across this article that discusses the differences. Here's a snippit from it that I wanted to ask your opinions on.
1. Anonymity: How the Internet Protects the Bully
The biggest difference between cyber bullying and traditional bullying is the fact that the Internet actually gives the offender an extra degree of protection.
Why? Because when youre on the Internet, bullies can harass and attack their targets anonymously.
Back in the ‘traditional bullying days, at least victims knew who their aggressor was. Now, the victims are clearly identifiable online (whether its through their phone number or one of their social media profiles) and cyber bullies can hide their identities while harassing that person.
2. Cyber Bullying Can Happen Anywhere, Anytime
Another difference between cyber bullying and traditional bullying is that cyber bullying can happen anywhere. As long as someone has access to the Internet, a bully can harass someone and a victim can find an offensive comment about them.
Before everyone had easy access to the Internet, bullying was more isolated. It typically happened during school hours and in places where the bully and victim were in the same location.
In todays age, there is literally nowhere to hide if you are a victim of bullying. Someone could find a message from a cyber bully from the moment they wake up until the time they go to sleep. They could find one during school hours and/or in the privacy of their own home.
This, of course, make it very difficult to avoid cyber bullying, and it can it could potentially happen to someone constantly.
3. Cyber Bullying Incidents Can Go Viral
Have you ever seen an image or meme go viral before?
While people can be hostile both online or offline, one of the other key differences between cyber bullying and traditional bullying is the fact that things can be shared easily.
Some of the nastiest online bullies expose their victims in front of the entire virtual world.
While most traditional bullying takes place in front of a relatively small number of witnesses, cyberbullying plays out in front of anyone who has access to the Internet and comes across a cyber bullys post.
Whats worse is that most people dont do anything about it simply because they feel like nothing can be done online. Some people even play a role in sharing some of these hurtful messages, and posts to their friends, which gives the victim even more negative exposure.
(Side Note: If you are a teen, make sure you read this article about bystanders, which discusses why you should take action against cyber bullies even if you arent the one being bullied.)
4. There Is a Lot Less Remorse in the Online World
Generally, solving a problem that happens online is very different from what happens in the real world. The Internet is still a relatively new phenomenon for most people, and it is constantly changing based on how we react to it.
Nowadays, people seem to believe that there are worse reprocussions for cyber bullying compared to traditional bullying. Victims are less likely to tell their parents or teachers about a cyber bullying incident because they may fear that theyll receive a worse punishment, like having their computer or phone taken away.
Furthermore, because cyber bullies dont have face-to-face encounters with their victim, they are also less likely to feel guilty for what they do. In other words, they do not know how their words or actions actually affect someone else online. This leads to bullies being more aggressive and victims being more vulnerable.
• What do you think about this article?
• Do you think one is worse than the other?
• Does one get priority over the other in terms of the awareness it's given?
• Can one lead to the other?