How Can Organizations Aid in the Fight Against Online Bullying?

Introduction

According to reports, millions of people have experienced cyberbullying, and in some instances, the victims’ emotional misery has prompted them to commit suicide. All social networking sites include bullies, while some pose more risks to younger users than others. According to research by Nilan et al. (2015), young people are drawn to cyberbullying as a strategy to gain social advantages over peers and to cope with demands and social anxiety. Despite the existence of many safety measures used to combat cyberbullying, it is still difficult for social media users to individually fight cyberbullying. For these reasons, this study examines the contribution of organizations in fighting cyberbullying using social media.

Literature Review

Lots of research has been conducted on cyberbullying with many researchers taking the quantitative approach. Some of the studies have shown how much efforts are being made by organizations and individuals to combat cyberbullying. Whitaker and Kowalski, (2015) present that the continuously changing nature of technology also translates into changing forms of cyberbullying which have presented educators and researchers to collaborate in designing intervention and prevention effort to control the behavior. However, the inability to keep up with the changing technology is challenging to the process of developing intervention and prevention with the act.

Nilan et al., (2015), argue that the reason why educational institutions have not succeeded in combating cyberbullying is their application of traditional methods of approaching the process. Primarily the ones used are based on the overall understanding of bullying. Schools have failed to recognize and address the difficulties and nuances that characterize cyberbullying in their approaches to dealing with the behavior. According to Nilan et al.,(2015), the simple identification of people involved in cyberbullying as “victim” and “aggressor” does not fit the complexities of cyberbullying. Instead, other aspects that need to be dealt with include power imbalance and repetition.

On their part, Reilly et al., (2016), suggest that parents should take the lead in the fight against cyberbullying by openly discussing the behavior and encouraging safe use of social media. As per the arguments of Reilly et al., (2016), parents should partner with schools to address bullying of pupils and encourage the utilization of school-based cyberbullying curricula. These recommendations emanate from research findings that show how school authorities are unable to deal with the unique characteristics of cyberbullying such as anonymity, spreadability, permanence and deniability (Reilly et al., 2016). Moreover, social media bullies avoid doing the same on face-to-face interactions with their victims.

Resolving the problem of cyberbullying becomes even more difficult when it affects college students because they rarely inform their parents or teachers if they are being bullied online. That means more college students may be cyberbullied, but little is reported about it. Therefore, students can be helped by having a central email account for making reports and training educators provide support for learners in institutions of higher education. Watts et al., (2017), recommend that instructors should actively monitor online interactions to prevent cyberbullying among their students. Other suggestions for dealing with cyberbullying among college students include pressing for legal charges against aggressors. Myers & Cowie, (2017), present that most universities lack specific policies on cyberbullying and the law in some jurisdictions do not recognize cyberbullying as a crime. Students are therefore left without proper knowledge of their institution’s position on cyberbullying, and many students are left with nowhere to report cases of cyberbullying. Myers & Cowie conclude by suggesting that staff members need training on ways of dealing with incidents of online bullying.

Research Question

How do organizations help fight cyberbullying on social media?

Data Collection and Analysis

After the formulation of the research question, I set out to look for individuals linked to some organizations that have come out to support the fight against cyberbullying. I made several online searches of names of public figures with keywords including their names plus “fighting cyberbullying,” or “contribution to the fight against cyberbullying,” and failed to get useful information from the public figures. I changed the search to organizations that deal with issues of cyberbullying and came across several of which I picked the Cybersmile Foundation. The next step involved searching for social media posts made by Cybersmile Foundation of cyberbullying and found a Facebook report with a link to a story about a former cyberbully victim who is also a musician and transgender. The sampling method was both maximum variation and critical case sampling. Maximum variation because I searched for social media content among data that shares a similar theme of cyberbullying and critical case because I searched for occurrences of cyberbullying prevention and control that are currently in use.

The data analysis process involved.

I looked at the date of the post to establish how long it has been on the Facebook page of Cybersmile Foundation. I then sought to establish the likes, shares or comments that the post has received so far. I also looked at the likes, shares, and comments of other posts on the page. After that, I read the contents of the other posts, analyzed the colors used, the messages as well as the images used on those messages. Finally, I read the report on Jake Zyrus’s new position as Cybersmile ambassador and details about his experience with cyberbullying as a girl. The analysis was qualitative because it involved the scrutiny of different types of information, as well as the content in the sample to establish the reach and possible effect of such a story on reducing or stopping cases of cyberbullying.

Results and Discussion

Research findings indicate that the post was made on November 22, 2017, but more than 24 hours after its publication, it had received no like or comment except for one share. Compared to other contents on the page, it was the only one that did not have bright colors and funny pictures. Moreover, the other contents that had received many likes, shares and comments and they had no links to another article like the one under study. The main article opening on a different link had its parts written in different fonts, colors and letter cases. For example, all the quotes in the article were in capital letters and orange in color. The quotes held the most important message about cyberbullying and served their purpose well because they condemn cyberbullying and belittle aggressors. A section of Jake Zyru’s quote reads, “CYBER BULLYING IS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO FIND SATISFACTION BY DESTROYING OTHERS AND GAINING CONFIDENCE HIDING IN THE DARK AND ANONYMITY” (par.2). These findings indicate that organizations using social media to fight cyberbullying have not made significant steps in encouraging aggressors to stop the behavior. While the efforts are worth and right, the results show that more needs to be done to engage social media users in serious and active discussions to stop cyberbullying. The findings are supported by the conclusion made by Nilan et al., (2015) that the mere identification of people involved in cyberbullying as victims or aggressors does not tackle other difficulties of the behavior. The findings also bring out the idea that techniques used in dealing with cyberbullying are crucial to the success of the process because of the ever-changing nature of technology. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the other features of cyberbullying such as anonymity, spreadability, permanence and deniability (Reilly et al., 2016). For that reason, the research question may be revised to:

What techniques can organizations use on social media platforms to combat cyberbullying?

Conclusion

Although many researchers have dealt on the issue of cyberbullying, the changing nature of the internet makes it difficult to design interventions and prevention measures for the behavior. Organizations such as learning institutions are using the same methods of dealing with general bullying on cyberbullying without considering the unique nature and features of cyberbullying. Moreover, institutions of higher learning such as colleges and universities have no clearly defined and developed methods of dealing with cyberbullying among students. The study findings show that organizations need to use different techniques for tackling the problem of cyberbullying. Therefore future research should consider finding out the most appropriate methods that can withstand the changes of technology to help reduce or finish the issue of cyberbullying.

References

Myers, C., & Cowie, H. (2017). Bullying at University: The Social and Legal Contexts of Cyberbullying Among University Students. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 48(8), 1172-1182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022022116684208

Nilan, P., Burgess, H., Hobbs, M., Threadgold, S., & Alexander, W. (2015). Youth, Social Media, and Cyberbullying among Australian Youth: “Sick Friends”. Social Media + Society, 1(2), 1- 12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2056305115604848

Reilly, M., Fogler, J., Selkie, E., & Augustyn, M. (2016). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder– Related Impulsivity and Cyberbullying in Social Media. Journal Of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 37(6), 511-513. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/dbp.0000000000000308

The Cybersmile Foundation and Blush Design Agency Announce Official Partnership. 2017). Cybersmile.org. Retrieved 23 November 2017, from https://cybersmile.org/news/the- cybersmile-foundation-and-blush-design-agency-announce-official-partnership

Watts, L., Wagner, J., Velasquez, B., & Behrens, P. (2017). Cyberbullying in higher education: A literature review. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 268-274. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.038

Whittaker, E., & Kowalski, R. (2015). Cyberbullying via Social Media. Journal of School Violence, 14(1), 11-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2014.949377

Appendix A

1.

We are thrilled to announce Jake Zyrus as an Official Cybersmile Ambassador, joining our team of global stars encouraging a brighter, more inclusive internet – free from fear, threats and abuse.

Aged 25, Jake is one of the most recognized Filipino music stars in the world, having been discovered on Youtube with exceptional singing talent in 2007. Formerly known as Charice prior to undergoing a gender transition to male this year, Zyrus was hugely popular as ‘Sunshine Corazon’ in the multi award winning television series Glee and was named by Oprah as ”the most talented girl in the world.”

”CYBERBULLYING IS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO FIND SATISFACTION BY DESTROYING OTHERS AND GAINING CONFIDENCE HIDING IN THE DARK AND ANONYMITY. I AM COMPELLED TO TELL THE WORLD THAT THE SOCIAL MEDIA SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A TOOL TO HARM AND DESTROY ANYONE. WE SHOULD DO OUR BEST TO ENCOURAGE, TO BUILD, AND HAVE THE EYES TO SEE THE BEAUTY AND GOOD IN ANY INDIVIDUAL.”

Jake Zyrus, Ambassador, The Cybersmile Foundation

Zyrus made global headlines with his vocal talent and was invited for interviews on America’s largest networks. From appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show several times to sitting on the couch with Ellen DeGeneres, Zyrus was the first Filipino star to break into the American music scene, entering the Billboard 200 Top 10 with his first international studio album. He has also performed with the likes of Celine Dion and for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 52nd season home opener at Dodger Stadium in front of more than 50,000 people. Some of his recognized performances include ‘Note To God’ and ‘I Have Nothing’ at the Whitney Houston Tribute concert with David Foster.

”EVERYBODY AT CYBERSMILE IS EXTREMELY PROUD AND EXCITED TO WELCOME JAKE AS OUR NEWEST OFFICIAL CYBERSMILE AMBASSADOR, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER IN MAKING THE INTERNET A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE, WHERE PEOPLE CAN EXPRESS THEMSELVES WITHOUT FEAR OF BULLYING, HARASSMENT AND ABUSE.”

Scott Freeman, CEO, The Cybersmile Foundation

The transition to male has not been easy for Jake, who has faced online abuse and harassment – part of a bigger problem across the internet, with transgender and identity based bullying on the increase.

Link to the organization’s Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheCybersmileFoundation/posts/