Types of Cyberbullying

 • Types of Cyberbullying  :

Teens are online now more than ever. Every day they use their smartphones, tablets, and computers not only to research material for school but to socialize with friends and family members.

In fact, texting and using social media is one of the top ways kids communicate with others. But just like any other social activity, the opportunity for bullying exists.

While there are a number of different ways kids are bullying others online, the majority of online harassment falls into one of six categories. Here are six of the most common methods of cyberbullying.

1. Harassment
2. Impersonation
3. Inappropriate Photographs
4. Website Creation 
5. Video Shaming 
6. Other Subtle Methods

1. Harassment

Harassing someone is a common method of online bullying. This type of cyberbullying occurs when someone uses one of these strategies to torment another person.

  • ➡ Engaging in “warning wars.” Many internet service providers and            social media sites offer a way to report a user who is saying something        inappropriate. Kids use these report buttons as a way to get the victim        in trouble or kicked offline.
  • ➡ Participating in text wars or text attacks, which occur when bullies      gang up on the victim and send thousands of texts. These attacks not          only cause emotional distress but create a large cell phone bill if you          don't have unlimited texting.
  • ➡ Posting rude, mean, or insulting comments about the victim via the      chat option of online gaming sites.
  • ➡ Posting rumors, threats, or embarrassing information on social          networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Sometimes        teens and tweens also will engage in subtweeting and vaguebooking to        harass someone in a more subtle way.
  • ➡ Using text messaging, instant messaging, and email to harass,          threaten, or embarrass the target.

  • 2. Impersonation
  • A cyberbully also may impersonate another person, causing problems in that person's life. Here are some examples of ways cyberbullies pretend to be the person they are targeting.

    • ➡ Change the target’s online profile to include sexual, racist, or      other inappropriate things.
    • ➡ Develop a screen name that is similar to the victim’s screen        name and then post rude or hurtful remarks while pretending to        be the victim.
    • ➡ Pretend to be someone else in order to lure an unsuspecting        person into a fake relationship. This type of activity is often called      catfishing.
    • ➡ Set up a social media account and post as the victim while        saying mean, hurtful, or offensive things online.5 Actual photos of      the victim may be used to make the account look authentic.
    • ➡ Steal the victim’s password and chat with other people while        pretending to be the victim. The bully will say mean things that          offend and anger the victim’s friends or acquaintances.

  • 3. Inappropriate Photographs 
  • Bullying may include the use of embarrassing or inappropriate images. Here's a closer look at how cyberbullies may use photos and images to cyberbully others.

    • ➡ Posting nude pictures on photo sharing sites for anyone on        the internet to view and download.
    • ➡ Sending mass emails or text messages that include nude or        degrading photos of the victim. This behavior is often called              “sexting,” and once the photos are sent, there is no way to                control it. The photos can be distributed to hundreds of people          within just a few hours.
    • ➡ Taking nude or degrading pictures of the victim in a locker        room, a bathroom, or dressing room without their permission.
    • ➡ Threatening to share embarrassing photos as a way of              controlling or blackmailing the victim.
    • ➡ Using photographs to shame someone online. One common        tactic teens use is to engage in slut shaming. This behavior                involves shaming someone, usually a girl, for the way she                  dresses, acts, or the number of people she has dated.

  • 4. Website Creation

  • A bully may create a website, blog, or poll to harass another person. Here are ways cyberbullies use websites to bully others.

    • ➡ Conduct an internet poll about the victim. Questions in the          poll may vary including everything from who is ugly and who            smells to who is dumb and who is fat.
    • ➡ Create a blog about the victim that is embarrassing,                insulting, or humiliating.
    • ➡ Develop a website with information that is humiliating,            embarrassing, or insulting for the victim.
    • ➡ Post the victim’s personal information and pictures on a            website, which puts the victim in danger of being contacted by          predators. Spread rumors, tell lies, or gossip about the victim            online through websites or blogs.
    • ➡ Use information that was shared in confidence and make it        public in a website or blog.

    5. Video Shaming 


  • The use of videos may be used for online bullying. These short clips are often extremely hurtful to the people being targeted. Here are some ways cyberbullies use videos to shame and humiliate others.

    • ➡ Creating an incident that causes another person to become            upset or emotional and then record the incident. This type of            activity is often referred to as cyberbaiting. Teachers are a                common target for cyberbaiting incidents.
    • ➡ Downloading a video of something humiliating and posting it      to YouTube in order to allow a larger audience to view the incident.
    • ➡ Sharing a video via mass e-mail or text messaging to                humiliate and embarrass the victim.
    • ➡ Using a camera phone to video and later share a bullying          incident, which may include one or more kids slapping, hitting,          kicking, or punching the victim. Embarrassing moments are              sometimes recorded and shared as well.

  • 6. Other Subtle Methods 
  • Methods such as subtweeting or vaguebooking as well phishing email programs can be used to bully and avoid detection. Here are just a few ways that cyberbullies engage in subtle forms of cyberbullying.

    • ➡ Posting tweets or Facebook posts that never mention the            victim's name. Yet the victim, the bully, and often a larger                audience know who the posts are referencing.


    • ➡ Using subtle posts and tweets to fuel the rumor mill while        avoiding detection by teachers, administrators, and parents.


    • ➡ Sending viruses, spyware, or hacking programs to the victim      through email or text in order to spy on the victim or control their      computer remotely.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHILD LABOUR

MONEY MANAGEMENT

WHAT IS CYBER BULLYING ?