Cyberbullying: A Rapidly Growing Social Cancer

Introduction

Today’s general public is dependent on the Internet, which has developed into a daily requirement. The impact of the internet on society is inversely correlated. The internet has made it relatively easy to communicate with people, but it also has drawbacks. Once upon a time, defying societal expectations by standing up to bullies was considered a heroic act. The scenery is less bare-bones today with the entry of cyberbullying. At any time of day, teenagers are required to put up with peer bullying online, sometimes without even knowing who is doing it. Youth throughout the world are facing serious health issues as a result of the widespread use of digital gadgets, and this issue extends beyond school grounds. Cyberbullying is the use of an internet platform to harass, threaten, denigrate, or embarrass another person. Bullying data indicate that victims are more likely to commit suicide as a result of cyberbullying in the most severe situations. Just a few of its drawbacks include privacy invasion, online abuse, and several other unfavourable outcomes. According to this definition, cyberbullying is conventional bullying with the addition of modern communication technology. Its aggressive behaviour is what gives it its hostile quality. Although we might debate the extent to which criminals are aware of the gravity of their actions, the purpose relates to the degree of knowledge of injuring others. It is challenging to determine whether a cyberbullying assault was intended or a response because of its indirect nature. In addition, according to some writers, cyberbullying may spread widely or be imitated by others if it meets the conditions for recurrence and regularly creates an imbalance of power, even if it originates from a single individual act. Since it appears to be getting more prevalent, not every internet user in the digital world recognises what they experience as cyberbullying. If the root of the problem cannot be identified, finding remedies becomes difficult. So, the most important requisite in today’s digital world is to not only recognise the issue but work on understanding it in-depth and find accurate solutions to it. The focus of this chapter is to offer a brief study of the concept of cyberbullying, its consequences, ways of prevention, its gender-related viewpoint, and so on.

Compared to other kinds of bullying, cyberbullying is more likely to go undetected by parents and authorities. The reason for this is that victims believe they must learn how to handle it on their own, and they also worry that if they notify their parents, their access to the internet would be restricted or discontinued. This brand-new kind of bullying—cyberbullying—follows youngsters from the school corridors to their homes. When they check their e-mail or cell phone first thing in the morning and continue until they turn off their computer or mobile phone at night, many cyberbullying victims are being harassed.

Bullying and cyberbullying have numerous distinctions, even though they are frequently compared in terms of form and approach, which can make the latter even more harmful. In the first case, the targets might not be aware of the bully's identity or motivation. Using anonymous email addresses or fictitious screen identities, the cyberbully can hide their identity behind a computer or phone. Second, a cyberbully's unpleasant activities are contagious, meaning that with a few keystrokes or touchscreen impressions, a sizable number of individuals can be engaged in the victimisation or at least learn about the occurrence. Therefore, it appears that there is an endless supply of prospective victims, criminals, and witnesses/bystanders. Third, as cyberbullying may be carried out from a distance and the bully need not be aware of the target's prompt retaliation, it is frequently simpler to be cruel using technology. Because they are shielded from the victim's reaction, some teenagers may fail to realise the significant hurt they are causing. However, many people lack the technological know-how to monitor what teenagers are doing online, despite the fact that parents and educators are doing a better job of supervising children at home and in school. As a consequence, it's possible to overlook a victim's experiences and fail to stop a bully in their tracks. Even if bullies are discovered, many adults are unprepared to respond in an appropriate way.