Cyberbullying: the technologized aggression
Cyberbullying has characteristics that make it more cruel and perverse than traditional bullying.
It is a reality that people start using technologies (cell phones, internet, etc.) at increasingly younger ages. Whenever I think of this I remember the video of that baby trying to enlarge a photo on paper with the only power of his fingers.
Having premature contact with this infinite virtual world full of possibilities does not come with the maturity, also necessary, to know the risks of the network and the appropriate tools for self-protection, as well as the criteria to discriminate moderately reliable information from that which is not.
When technological media such as the Internet, cell phones or online video games are used to engage in psychological harassment among peers, we are talking about a phenomenon called cyberbullying or cyberbullying. a phenomenon called cyberbullying or cyberbullying..
What is cyberbullying?
This is a particular type of bullying that occurs among peers, friends and people of similar age group and can have different manifestations within the ICT environment. different manifestations within the ICT environment (offenses, threats, blackmailing (offenses, threats, blackmail, harassment, insults...).
Cyberbullying goes one step further than bullying or traditional harassment. They are two forms of aggression between peers that share many characteristics. However, the former has certain particularities that make it even more harmful to the victim.
Anonymity on the networks
Firstly, the fact that the aggression is exercised through a virtual space favors the anonymity of the aggressor. This status gives the individual greater freedom to act, as he or she is less exposed to being less exposed to being caught.. In other words, compared to what happens in traditional bullying, in cyberbullying the attacker gets "more for less".
Constant and almost uncontrollable attacks
Secondly, the victim of cyberbullying becomes, once chosen, an "easy target" for the aggressor. becomes, once chosen, an "easy target" for the aggressor.. It is available 24 hours a day, while in bullying, the attacks are usually limited to those moments and spaces where both parties live together (e.g. school), the child being "released" from the pressure when he/she returns to the safety of his/her home.
Furthermore, it should be added that contacts are always initiated at the aggressor's will, without the victim having any control over them.
They are accessible at all times and cannot avoid, as in bullying, going to certain places they know to be dangerous, since the network, in this sense, keeps them continuously connected. This causes the victim to develop a feeling of unpredictability and uncontrollability that generates anxiety and fears. which generates anxiety and fear.
Lack of empathy in cyberbullying
Another differentiating aspect of this type of harassment has to do with the distance from the victim and the absence of social cues. The fact of not seeing the face and suffering of the person who is being insulted, humiliated, threatened, etc. facilitates the person who is being insulted, humiliated, threatened, etc. facilitates the development of these behaviors.
This distance hinders empathy, i.e., the ability to put oneself in the victim's shoes and know how he or she is feeling, which could be a brake on aggression.
With regard to social cues, in cyberbullying there are also no direct bystanders who give negative feedback to the aggressor (disagreement, bad faces, defense of the victim and other elements used in initiatives such as the KiVa method) that would allow him to regulate his own behavior. He is alone and free from any feedback to act.
The massive -and in some cases exclusive- use of virtual environments for the development of social relationships has some risks such as the tendency to depersonalization ("me on the net vs. me in reality"), the fantasy-reality confusion (forgetting that that insult is just as real as if I say it in person) or the construction of erroneous moral judgments.
Public humiliation
Two last characteristics make the effect of cyberbullying more powerful. First, thanks to technologies, the bully can reach a much wider audience. can reach a much wider audienceFor example, by spreading a hoax about the person on one of his or her social networks. Second, you have probably heard the saying "what goes on the net, stays on the net".
Because of this, the effect of aggression through the technology and Internet environment is much more permanent. It is not limited to the moment in which the person is insulted, but also to the moment in which he or she is insulted. is kept for a long time in that virtual cloud.
Cases of cyberbullying are growing in a worrying way. The introduction into the world of technologies should come with an "instruction manual", administered by educators, parents, etc., that include a section aimed at raising awareness about the risks and the real impact that cyberbullying can have on a person's life and train on a person's life and train in appropriate self-protection measures.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)