Tyler Clementi’s suicide ten days ago has raised serious questions about cyberbullying and digital privacy. It is disappointing that people are taking advantage of the loopholes in media sharing on social networking websites.
Cyberbullying is extremely hurtful to those victimized because the perpetrators humiliate their targets publicly by sharing obscene content or posting offensive messages online. Tighter Internet security can combat the problem to a certain extent; however, the real solution can only come from educating students on responsible cyber citizenship.
One common finding from several studies conducted all over the country is that cyberbullying irreparably damages the victim's self-esteem and as a result they succumb to hopelessness and depression. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have their individual safety mechanisms to report abuse, but these tools neither suffice for prevention nor ensure a permanent cure against this social disease.
The list has grown beyond cyber stalking, threats, defamation, trolling, happy slapping, impersonation, harassment, outing and so on. Schools and colleges have begun to realize the dire importance of spreading awareness on this issue and are urging students to speak up if they are bullied.
Cyberbullying is a criminal offense in Montana and other states are also condemning this unhealthy act as a punishable offense. Protecting privacy in a public world remains a formidable task and hopefully we’ll have a perfect world someday where people stop using technology as a weapon to harm others.
