ISCI 761 Post 5: Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying 

Cyberbullying is much more complicated than other types of bullying. Or in most cases it is. A student's home and personal space (including personal social media) should be a safe space, but with the internet that is no longer the case. Those safe spaces can be taken away. On top of that cyberbullying is often anonymous because of the “online communications" (Faucher, 2015, p. 112), the internet can be accessed by most people creating a “wider audience of bystanders to cyberbullying” (Faucher, 2015, p. 112), and things that are posted on the internet can be hard to take down because there is a “permanent nature [to] online messages” (Faucher, 2015, p. 112).  

 

Image of an upset person in front of a laptop that had negative messages on the screen 

 

Another reason that cyberbullying is so dangerous is the “detachment that results from not seeing the target’s reaction to a message” (Faucher, 2015, p. 112). The person doing the bullying does not see how their actions are hurting someone else. This makes it even easier to cause harm with no remorse.  

 

It was concerning to learn that in one study “61% of cyberbullying victims also report being victims of traditional bullying” (Faucher, 2015, p. 115).  

Cyberbullying in Schools 

First, I would make sure I was aware of the bullying and cyberbullying policies that were already set in place and let the appropriate parties know if I felt like something was missing from the policy. Then I would find out what the school was already doing beyond that to prevent and address bullying and cyberbullying. I will be starting a new job in a high school library this school year and if given the chance I will ask the Elementary and Middle School librarians and guidance counselors what they have done at their schools. This way I know what students have learned already and what expectations to have.  

 

I would have a plan for what I would do or say if a student reports bullying to me or if I see something happening. I want students who come into the library to feel welcome and safe, and I do not want students to make anyone feel unsafe while they are there or anywhere in the school.

 

Image of a parent talking to their child and then talking to a teacher

I could also teach lessons about internet safety and how to be safe online. These would include what cyberbullying is (sometimes students don’t realize that they are being bullied and that they can report it) and what to do. I would also make something for teachers to use in class. I could also reach out to the guidance counselor and plan something with them.  

 

 

Final Thoughts  

While not in K-12 school setting I was horrified to find out how often bullying happens in higher education settings (from professors) and in workplace settings. I knew this was something that could happen, but the numbers were a lot higher than I expected them to be.  

 

Image with a sketch of a person looking upset and arrows pointing at them from all directions 

 

I was also surprised by the “Gender Differences in Aggression” section in the Evaluating a Middle-School Digital Citizenship Curriculum (Screenshots): Quasi-Experimental Study. While some of these were things I have observed I did not know they had been confirmed with studies. 

 

 Works Cited:

Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.  

Orech, J. (2012). How it's done: Incorporating digital citizenship into your everyday curriculum. Tech & Learning, 33(1), 16-18.