Vanessa Sandoval
English 113B
Professor Rebecca Lawson
2/27/13
Cyber-bullying/Teen Suicide
Cyber-bullying is bullying through the use of electronic technology such as cell-phones and computers. People are being bullied through text messages and social networks. The common victims of cyber-bullying are children, teenagers, and young adults. “The difference of cyber-bullying and physical bullying is that cyber-bullying can become a cycle happening twenty four hours seven days a week“. It can occur anywhere and at any time. Physical bullying can occur in school but then stops when the individual is safe at home. Cyber-bullying continues at home and the victim hardly ever feels safe. Cyber-Bullying through social networks can eventually lead to teenagers committing suicide because they are constantly being attacked and unfortunately they feel their only escape is by ending their own lives. In order to prevent cyber-bullying there should be an awareness of what teenagers are doing online and an establishment of technology rules in social networks.
Cyber-bullying is very common in social networks such as Facebook. This social network has become a gateway for people to attack others through the internet and not in person. Cyber-bullying can start with name calling such as rude comments that eventually hurt the victim’s feelings. People are taking advantage of Facebook in negative ways by putting others down and not realizing they are actually creating emotional damage. Cyber-bullying through social networks can get out of hand and lead to physical aggression where the victim is being bullied at school and also at home. Eventually this person feels like the whole world is against them and decides to commit suicide in order to stop their suffering.
For example, a Canadian teenager named Amanda Todd committed suicide after being cyber-bullied through Facebook. This shows how cyber-bullying can really affect a person tremendously that their only alternative is to kill themselves. Amanda Todd posted a video on You tube to reveal her story and her suffering due to cyber-bullying. In her video she describes how it all started by a picture that changed her entire life. “One year later, a man contacted her on Facebook, threatening to send around the picture of her topless. The stranger knew everything her address, school, friends, and relatives. Soon, her naked photo had been forwarded to everyone".The stranger created a Facebook account using Todd’s uncensored photo as his profile picture. She became targeted in Facebook which then led to physical bullying at school. Todd’s case is an example of how cyber-bullying starts in social networks and then directs into physical aggression. Todd changed schools after schools but her torment wouldn't come to its end. Sadly she suffered from depression and anxiety disorders that triggered her to alcohol and drug abuse. In her video Todd mentions her attempts to commit suicide and how she is “struggling to stay in this world.” Unfortunately a month after posting the video Amanda Todd commits suicide by hanging herself in her house. This proves that cyber-bullying is linked to teenagers committing suicide. Todd was constantly being harassed through social network sites and at school. She never felt safe and tried anything to end this painful cycle. For Todd her only escape was through committing suicide.
Another example of a teenager committing suicide due to cyber-bullying is the case of 15 year old Phoebe Prince a recent Irish immigrant who committed suicide after three months of routine torment through text messages and Facebook by her classmates Prince was being tormented by students mostly girls from her high school who resented her for dating a senior football player. “These girls would verbally assault and threaten her on Facebook. This cyber-bullying then became physical bullying when one of the girls crushed a soda can on her head”. Prince felt humiliated and no longer wanted to remain in school. She felt her only solution for this taunting to end was by hanging herself. Even after her death the girls who bullied her left disparaging messages on the Facebook page created for her memory. This shows how far cyber-bullying can go and even after Prince’s death she was still being attacked. Hurtful comments online shouldn't lead a teenager to the extent of committing suicide. The cycle of cyber-bullying must come to its end before more teenagers end up taking their own lives.
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| Jamey's last post in Facebook before committing suicide |
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| Jamey Rodemeyer and his idol Lady Gaga |
An additional example of a victim of cyber-bullying is 14 year old Jamey Rodemeyer from Buffalo, New York who killed himself after gay taunts in social networks and school. [Picture goes here] Jamey would bog about being suicidal because he was constantly being bullied at school. “He regularly posted about being bullied at school and how people launch gay insults at him”. Jamey was basically crying out for help through his blog by letting out his frustration and pain. For example Jamey wrote on his Tumblr site “ I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. What do I have to do so people will listen to me?”. This shows how Jamey tried creating a voice for himself through his blog and other social networks. But instead of supporting him students from his school began to bully him online. “They would call him stupid, gay, fat, ugly and he must die“(Quigley). A person even wrote saying no one would care if he dies so to just do it and make everyone happy. Its very sad to realize that someone would actually tell someone else to kill themselves as if though it means nothing. These horrid posts and comments are what triggered Jamey to commit suicide. Before killing himself Jamey left a thank you post to his idol Lady Gaga and posted a lyric from her song “The Queen” on his Facebook page “ Don’t forget me when I come crying to heaven’s door”. Jamey announced that he was going to kill himself hoping that someone out there can stop him but unfortunately no one did. When his friends finally reported the message posts to the school guidance counselor she even admitted that it may already have been too late. In Jamey’s case he was actually speaking out about his suffering but was still being bullied. Tragically he felt no one cared about him and decided to kill himself.
Cyber-bullying is what eventually lead Todd, Prince, and Jamey to take their own lives away and it’s sad that the whole world found out when it was too late. Shockingly, this is still happening in social networks such as Facebook which are meant to be used to connect with friend and family, but are being used negatively to hurt others. “The primary cyber-bullying location where victimizing occurs, at 56%, is in chat rooms”. In order to prevent cyber-bullying is to first become aware of what is going on. What are teenagers up to in Facebook? Who are they talking to? These are questions parents and guardians should be thinking about and be able to figure out. Facebook is a huge social network that connects over one billion people from around the world. People can basically talk to anyone and anywhere. A teenager can be talking to a sexual predator who is looking for their next victim without even realizing it. [Look at my group member Christopher Dominguez’s essay for more details about cyber-predators.]
Facebook is still very popular but the rules aren't good enough. There should be an establishment of rules for example people shouldn't be allowed to hurt or put down others and if they do they should get banned out of Facebook or any social network. Rude comments targeting a certain group or person should not be tolerated. People should have the right to defend themselves in a nonviolent matter and stop these “unknown” cyber-bullies. Cyber-bullying may never stop but it should be prevented from getting of hand and destroying someone’s life to the point where they feel their only escape is death. Cyber-bullying needs to be taken very seriously because anyone and can become a victim. Let’s help end cyber-bullying and save a person before it’s too late. Amanda Todd, Phoebe Prince, and Jamey Rodemeyer were dying silently and the world finally listened when it was too late.
Works Cited Page
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying.html
CBC News. “Cyber-bullying Linked Suicides Rising, Study Says.” Web. 20 Oct. 2012. http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/10/19/cyberbullying-suicide-study.html
Goldman ,Russell. “Teens Indicated After Allegedly Taunting Girl Who Hanged Herself.” Web. 29. March. 2010. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/TheLaw/teens-charged-bullying-mass-girl-kill/story?id=10231357
Grenoble, Ryan. “Amanda Todd: Bullied Canadian Teen Commits Suicide After Prolonged Battle Online and in School.” Web.11.Oct.2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/amanda-todd/
http://www.maskmatters.org/pdf/CyberbullyingFacts.pdf
Quigley, Rachel. “What Do I Have To Do For People To Listen? Boy, 14, Kills Himself After Gay Taunts and Thanks Lady Gaga in His Final Post.” Web. 21. Sept. 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2039801/Bullied-gay-teen-Jamey-Rodemeyer-commits-suicide-Thanks-Lady-Gaga-post.html
http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html
Uhls, Yalda T. "Cyberbullying Has a Broader Impact than Traditional Bullying." Cyberbullying. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Is Bullying Going Digital? Cyber Bullying Facts." PsychologyinAction.org. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2013
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