Cyberbully

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

The internet brought us more opportunities to express ourselves through social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. People are more and more conscious of the praises and criticisms on the web. We seek recognition of others by showing ourselves. However, that act make us vulnerable to cyberbully.

The term cyberbully is coined after the appearance of internet forums, where one or a group of internet users verbally abuse a single victim. While the victim receives no physical injury, the trauma and mental injury left by those bullies are not less devastating. There are records of people who went into deep depression, or even took their own lives after falling victim to cyberbully.

The need to prove oneself, empowered by the anonymity of the internet, creates a cyberbully. Cyberbullies usually do not care about the consequences of their actions, as long as they can achieve their goals, which is to condemn the victims. Whether it is an idea in a public debate, or a defect on the victim’s body, any reason can be used to attack the victim. And they do not stop until the victim retreats, while sometimes questioning his own worthiness.

There are no rules or laws that stop cyberbully, as internet is a young playground. But such rules are needed, as cyberbully can trigger more serious crimes. There are cases where people fight or even shoot each other just because of an argument on the internet. If we aim to create a better environment for our future generations, we also need to clean up the virtual environment.