Curbing cyber bullying on social media
CURBING CYBER BULLYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Cyber bullying is trending daily on social media. Some people’s privacy has been ruined, homes destroyed, career shattered as a result of threatening messages, nude pictures, hate speech, abuses inflicted by cyber bullies. Some victims of cyber bullies have committed suicide because they could not withstand shame they have faced on the social media. The essence of this article is to examine some of the factors responsible for cyber bullying and proffer solutions as an antidote in curbing the menace in our societies.
Cyber bullying is one of the three types of bullying and it is defined as spreading of rumors, gossip, hate speech, threatening messages, non-verbal abuses, harassment on electronic media. The electronic media used for cyber bullying are text messaging on cell phones, internet websites or chat rooms, electronic mails, computer instant messaging. This article is streamline to cyber bullying on social media. Social media is defined as interactive forms of media that allow users to interact with and publish to each other generally by means of the internet. Examples of social media are: whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Imo, Snap chat, Eskimi, Mobofree, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn, Skypee and so on.
Factors leading to cyber bullying are not far-fetched they are:
Emotional and physical factors
Intellectual blindness
Revenge mission
Ulterior motives
Poor communication skills
Low tolerance level
Inadequate social media education
Emotional and physical factor: some cannot control their emotions, they are slaves to their emotions and they are quick to react rashly on comments or posts that is contrary to their opinions or belief which made them to abuse people, call them names, insult and harass them. Deprivation of basic needs of life can make some to transfer aggression on people’s post or comments.
Intellectual blindness: this is inability to separate people’s opinion or view on issues from their personality. Instead of them to address opinions on views, they will attack the personality of the person that owns the opinion because they cannot intellectually discern and separate opinions from personality. Most of cyber bullies on social media is as a result of this factor.
Revenge mission: couples, friends dating, business partners may use social media as a platform to get revenge on their partner. Sometimes in this year, it was reported in the national dailies of Nigeria that a music minister committed suicide because his wedding was cancelled few weeks to schedule date because his former girlfriend shared his nude pictures on a social media. Politicians also hire social media influencers to spread negative news about their opponents in order to defame him or her.
Ulterior motives: some out of their ulterior motives to make money create fake accounts where they blackmail their prey of posting their nude pictures or shady deals on a social media if they do not reward them in kind or monetarily
Poor communication skills: inadequate or lack of communication skills by social media users made them address people poorly on social media. Etiquettes of communication are lacked and in the process of displaying their poor communication skills they ended up being bullied by people who cannot tolerate their poor manners.
Low tolerance level: not all people can tolerate it when their personalities is being rubbish on a social media, they will react leading to war of words in which threatening and harassing messages is being exchanged between social medial users
Poor social medial education: social media users are expected to be acquainted about the purpose and essence of social platform you are using. For example it is absurd to accept friend requests from people you do not know on Facebook. When purpose is not known abuse is inevitable. Cyber bullying is trending because some people do not know the purpose of the social media that they are using. Some may not know that social media providers make provision where you can report cyber bullying, instead of replying the cyber bully back in a harsh way it is better you report the cyber bully to the social media provider who will take the necessary actions. Do not use any of the social media because some of your friends are using it; take your time to find out the purpose of that social media so that you will not abuse it.
Having known some of the factors that cause cyber bullying on social media, it is pertinent to know how it can be curbed, and the following are some of the ways cyber bullying can be curbed on a social media:
Blocking or suspension of defaulter’s account: the provider of social media should warn cyber bullies that are reported to them, if they desist from changing; their account should be suspended or blocked.
The social media provider should verify the genuineness and originality of their account users. Some social media accounts are faked, created by cyber bullies to inflict pains and cruelty on their victims. Thanks to Facebook who deleted who deleted fake accounts few months ago.
Report of cyber bullies by social media users should be taken seriously be social media providers
Provider of social media should have stringent rules that will hinder people from sharing nude pictures and other illicit materials on social medial platforms.
The public should be oriented and enlightened about social media ethics
There should be a law against cyber bullies who defame people’s personality and spread hate speech
Social media provider should censor post and comment of account users that are infringing against human rights.
Finally social media are meant to be a place where values are learned and instilled. A platform of love where you can always retire to after a hectic day, a place of fun and relaxation and not a place where hate speech, abuses and harassment thrives. For cyber bullying to stop it starts from you. Check what you are about to post or comment if it will hurt others or infringe on their human rights please do not post it. Let us be sensitive to religion, gender, culture, racism and any other issue that can bring about a division or contrary opinion.it is our responsibility to report cyber bullies to social media providers.
Abolanle Oladipupo
+2348051938901
15/08/2019
Cyber bullying is trending daily on social media. Some people’s privacy has been ruined, homes destroyed, career shattered as a result of threatening messages, nude pictures, hate speech, abuses inflicted by cyber bullies. Some victims of cyber bullies have committed suicide because they could not withstand shame they have faced on the social media. The essence of this article is to examine some of the factors responsible for cyber bullying and proffer solutions as an antidote in curbing the menace in our societies.
Cyber bullying is one of the three types of bullying and it is defined as spreading of rumors, gossip, hate speech, threatening messages, non-verbal abuses, harassment on electronic media. The electronic media used for cyber bullying are text messaging on cell phones, internet websites or chat rooms, electronic mails, computer instant messaging. This article is streamline to cyber bullying on social media. Social media is defined as interactive forms of media that allow users to interact with and publish to each other generally by means of the internet. Examples of social media are: whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Imo, Snap chat, Eskimi, Mobofree, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn, Skypee and so on.
Factors leading to cyber bullying are not far-fetched they are:
Emotional and physical factors
Intellectual blindness
Revenge mission
Ulterior motives
Poor communication skills
Low tolerance level
Inadequate social media education
Emotional and physical factor: some cannot control their emotions, they are slaves to their emotions and they are quick to react rashly on comments or posts that is contrary to their opinions or belief which made them to abuse people, call them names, insult and harass them. Deprivation of basic needs of life can make some to transfer aggression on people’s post or comments.
Intellectual blindness: this is inability to separate people’s opinion or view on issues from their personality. Instead of them to address opinions on views, they will attack the personality of the person that owns the opinion because they cannot intellectually discern and separate opinions from personality. Most of cyber bullies on social media is as a result of this factor.
Revenge mission: couples, friends dating, business partners may use social media as a platform to get revenge on their partner. Sometimes in this year, it was reported in the national dailies of Nigeria that a music minister committed suicide because his wedding was cancelled few weeks to schedule date because his former girlfriend shared his nude pictures on a social media. Politicians also hire social media influencers to spread negative news about their opponents in order to defame him or her.
Ulterior motives: some out of their ulterior motives to make money create fake accounts where they blackmail their prey of posting their nude pictures or shady deals on a social media if they do not reward them in kind or monetarily
Poor communication skills: inadequate or lack of communication skills by social media users made them address people poorly on social media. Etiquettes of communication are lacked and in the process of displaying their poor communication skills they ended up being bullied by people who cannot tolerate their poor manners.
Low tolerance level: not all people can tolerate it when their personalities is being rubbish on a social media, they will react leading to war of words in which threatening and harassing messages is being exchanged between social medial users
Poor social medial education: social media users are expected to be acquainted about the purpose and essence of social platform you are using. For example it is absurd to accept friend requests from people you do not know on Facebook. When purpose is not known abuse is inevitable. Cyber bullying is trending because some people do not know the purpose of the social media that they are using. Some may not know that social media providers make provision where you can report cyber bullying, instead of replying the cyber bully back in a harsh way it is better you report the cyber bully to the social media provider who will take the necessary actions. Do not use any of the social media because some of your friends are using it; take your time to find out the purpose of that social media so that you will not abuse it.
Having known some of the factors that cause cyber bullying on social media, it is pertinent to know how it can be curbed, and the following are some of the ways cyber bullying can be curbed on a social media:
Blocking or suspension of defaulter’s account: the provider of social media should warn cyber bullies that are reported to them, if they desist from changing; their account should be suspended or blocked.
The social media provider should verify the genuineness and originality of their account users. Some social media accounts are faked, created by cyber bullies to inflict pains and cruelty on their victims. Thanks to Facebook who deleted who deleted fake accounts few months ago.
Report of cyber bullies by social media users should be taken seriously be social media providers
Provider of social media should have stringent rules that will hinder people from sharing nude pictures and other illicit materials on social medial platforms.
The public should be oriented and enlightened about social media ethics
There should be a law against cyber bullies who defame people’s personality and spread hate speech
Social media provider should censor post and comment of account users that are infringing against human rights.
Finally social media are meant to be a place where values are learned and instilled. A platform of love where you can always retire to after a hectic day, a place of fun and relaxation and not a place where hate speech, abuses and harassment thrives. For cyber bullying to stop it starts from you. Check what you are about to post or comment if it will hurt others or infringe on their human rights please do not post it. Let us be sensitive to religion, gender, culture, racism and any other issue that can bring about a division or contrary opinion.it is our responsibility to report cyber bullies to social media providers.
Abolanle Oladipupo
+2348051938901
15/08/2019
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