Is cyber bulling a bigger problem then 'real' bullying.?

Rehab

Reading a report today saying that cyber bullying is a bigger problem then off line bullying. The cases of school play ground and work place bullying has dropped and the cases of cyber and text message bullying or anonymous bullying has increased.

Normal people who have never bullied in their lives have started and targeting total strangers who they have met in chat rooms, Facebook, emails and forums.

The report goes onto say that its the fact that its anonymous makes it so easy and it can turn a mild mannered person into a very spiteful human being who would run the other way rather then confront a person offline.

I have been a victim of cyber bullying an ex employee decided to target me and another colleague and for weeks we got text messages, emails and silent phone calls. The company I worked for brought in the police and the ex employee was jailed for 3 months and banned for using a phone with text ability and using computers for 2 years.

The police said that they are dealing with at least 4-5 cases a week and the courts are started to deal with the culprit severely.

We have all sent a text, email or posted something on a forum aimed at someone but it can become a habit, people may not have the same sense of humour as someone else or they don't see a message as fun. I always think before I post or send a text message just in case I am seen as a bully until I know a person and their personality.

Colin1

Rehab nice to see you
Yes one has to be so careful these days there are indeed several forms of bullying, people are not as thick skinned or broad shoulded as others. What offends one might not offend another. I would imagine its not a nice thing to be bullied. I worked in the Pub and club game for a little while and met my share of bullies. Met them in the forces to they come in all shapes and sizes. Its sad that you suffered at the hands of a bully and I’m glad they got what they deserve. I don’t think bullies realise the mental harm they do to people. Cyber bullies are indeed a different breed, and these internet trolls who write bad stuff “what an awful thing to do”, I think to deliberately hurt someone either physically or emotionally is a terrible thing its one thing unknowingly hurting a persons feelings but another to do it deliberately, In a state of anger people often say or do things they regret and jealousy is the cause of lots of bulling and anger. I have seen and done many things in my life and done things I would not want any other person to do or see. At the end of the day animals behave in a more humanitarian way than some people. Life is short people often disagree with each other that’s just life. Some people are easily offended, not like us thick skinned guys hey. Politeness and humility are as cheap as chips these days. There are people as you know take their own life because they see no way out of being bullied and the person doing the bulling knows full well what they are doing. Did it have much effect on you at the time was it an office type thing or more a physical bully.
Take care
Colin

dreamdaisy

I think it is a very large problem as the interweb gives the novice bully exactly what he or she really needs - a degree of anonymity. One of my clients was being bullied via her mobile, it turned out the bully had purchased a cheap-as-chips PAYG mobile (without parental knowledge) and was having a rare old time targetting those she felt were worthy of her especial note.

I think we all have to be wary of how much we give away about ourselves, surely it's best to take the time to get to 'know' someone as best we can (whilst hoping they are telling the truth about themselves) and yes, treat as we would like to be treated. It's a tough world in cyberspace and possibly some can handle it better than others. DD

valval

it a horrid thing to be bullied any how. people are not all nice and you do need to hold back with any one you are not sure of.
it so easy to give information out these days with out realising you are doing it but you do have to trust at some time val

oneday

Are there two Rehabs? the original as in Rehab 44 and a new Rehab who started the thread??

ichabod6

Hello Rehab,

Which report are you referring to?

ruby2

Yes it is..in fact its worse. But apparently it is easier to convict on.
I have left a few forums after watching it happen there, but generally adults are up to who is a bully and who is not so they can consequently make the bully look rather silly without them realising so cyber bullying is not an option sensible people take.

Colin1

I GOT THIS FROM THE NET IF THERE IS A TROLL THERE MUST BE AN OPPOSITE An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" or "Message Board Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.

A classic troll is trying to make us believe that he is a genuine with no hidden agenda. He is divisive and argumentative with need-to-be-right attitude, "searching for the truth", flaming discussion, and sometimes insulting people or provoking people to insult him. Troll is usually an expert in reusing the same words of its opponents and in turning it against them.
While sometimes, he may sound like a stupid, uninformed, ignorant poster, do not be deceived! Most trolls are highly intelligent people trying to hide behind a mask of stupidity and/or ignorance! They usually have an agenda.
A Troll is generally a person who is extremely skeptical of the main forum subject.
He is generally interested to make other forum members look stupid. A troll will sometimes use insults to provoke other people to insult him. Then, he will complain to moderators of being insulted and will request that his opponents get banned from further discussion.

An Internet troll is someone who posts offensive, controversial, or divisive material on an Internet community. Trolls are an unfortunately common occurrence on many communities across the Internet, and there are various steps which can be taken to combat them. If you are currently struggling with an Internet troll, the best thing to do is to walk away, since trolls feed on attention, and they will usually disappear if they are ignored.
The evolution of the Internet troll was a slow process which began as computer users started to more widely adopt the Internet. At first, the term referred merely to someone who was “trolling” for a response or opinion, in the same way that fishing boats cast out large nets to troll for a catch. Over time, trolls grew more aggressive, and the term began to be used specifically to refer to someone irritating or hurtful. In this sense, a troll could be compared to the nasty creatures of Scandinavian mythology which are also known as trolls.

Rehab

ichabod6 wrote:

Hello Rehab,

Which report are you referring to?

Hi it is in a white paper that I was given as I used to sit on the children's panel, I am still on the mailing list. I stopped sitting on it as I am disgusted at the way teenagers & young children do adult crimes including serious assaults by gangs of under 14's walk away laughing. The other information which I researched through links such as;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/22/cyberbullying-rise-warn-charities

http://mars.gold.ac.uk/media/SmithJCPP.pdf

http://www8.open.ac.uk/platform/news-and-features/google-mappingyber-bullying-the-increase-reports-professor-mary-kellett

Sometimes when we post in an email, on a forum or in a text messages we may say something that to the poster as a joke, a bit of a laugh, but as this platform is faceless and anonymous we cannot read body language. In the real world we communicate by watching facial features, eye movement, body language, even the smell we give off pheromones and we know just how far to push a joke. As you all know on this forum for example the only thing we have to go on is the way someone writes so we respond. I saw a post earlier;


Tody wrote:
I don't think it is.
Bullying is most dangerous in schools.
I don't think it's such a big problem on the Internet.


delboy wrote: Good grief man, will you ever enter into a debate with evidence rather than you own self-opinionated drivel.

The information maybe wrong but again should delboy respond in such a manner?
If this was the 'real world' would delboy respond in such a manner? Would Tody say something so inept, without substance or fact? Possibly not because my guess is that Tody would not be in the same company as delboy.

The world has shrunk to almost nothing with the internet, bringing strangers together into communities that would never have happened in the 'real world' and I believe that we are not emotionally prepared as humans for having a faceless society, as I mentioned above we need to look into the face of the person we talk to for keeping us grounded. Its just not the net, how many of us have shouted down the telephone at the faceless sales person, would you stand in the supermarket or walking into a double glazing company and shout obscenities to the sales person?
I know I wouldn't, but I have down the phone. Your thoughts please

barbara12

over the top moderating...that is a good one Del
Has for cyber bullies...like all bullies they thrive on it, but there time will come....

tjt6768

Bullying of any kind is a horrid and vile thing.. I believe it to be worse when done by a faceless fekwit.. Cowards....
I would stone the lot of them :shock:

When I first joined this place a member on here was having problems with her Daughter bring bullied at school.. It reminded me so much of what my Daughter had gone through, as it happens the schools were very close to one another but my Daughter was a good few yrs older.. At the time the school refused to accept responsibility, they would not even inform the bully's parents... Had it been our child doing the bullying I would want to know! I ended up going round to the girls house and talking to the girls mum...
I was told off if I remember correctly as I named and shamed the school on here, rightly so in my opinion.. Lol
Anyway, I'm rambling.. Where's my stones?? :?

tjt6768

As for trolls Colin.. Personally I think there are a few hanging around here but I will not mention names :roll:

ichabod6

Thanks for all that Rehab.
Is the white paper available for perusal?

Colin1

I think your spot on Tony did you read what it said about TROLLS

"Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" or "Message Board Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights in sowing discord on the forums.
A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.

colin

tjt6768

boy does that sound familiar lately... Lol

Colin1

You only get problems if you make them
Colin

phoenixoxo

Hi everyone,

Well, I was bullied at school and I've experienced trolling online so I empathise with anyone who's been through this. As bullies are cowards by nature, lashing out in fear, it doesn't surprise me that they're turning increasingly to the internet, to attack as pathetic 'keyboard warriors'.

I've a friend who moderates and her advice on trolls is pretty simple: don't feed 'em! But I do wonder whether schools could do more to help vulnerable young people. If I'd been receiving threats online as well as in real life during my schooldays it would've made things a lot worse.

Best wishes,
Phoebe

Rehab

I don't know if its available, as I received it from the Crown Office and I am not going to photocopy it as I am not messing with Queen and Country copyright. If you put in Google UK White paper on internet bullies or something similar I suppose that you may find something.