Brianna's Speech - Online Bullying

Online Bullying

Brianna Disterhoeft

Discrimination and bullying are all around us. Everywhere we look, people are being judged for their clothes, their looks, their sexual orientation, even the way they speak, and they’re having fun poked at them. You see, in this technological age, people have a lot more access to the Internet; via their phones, tablets, or computers. Ever since the world wide web was introduced to the public in 1991, people have been using it as a tool to personally annoy, harass, or virtually attack certain individuals, or groups of people. Many cases of such things are quite severe, and have been getting more so lately. But the question is, how far have people gone with this, and how far will they go?

Back in the day, when the Internet first started up, it was actually an enjoyable thing. People just went on to do research, send e-mails, and play Internet games. I think the big problem came along in 2004-2005, when social media came into the picture. Things like YouTube and Facebook were launched, and people started flooding in. They loved it, the idea of being able to connect with their friends in a totally new different way. However, some of the content people posted, others may not have agreed with. So they posted their extremely HONEST opinion on the Internet. People got upset, and the people who posted the negative comments got attention. They liked it, they liked the attention, and they soon became...hungry for it. And so the modern day ‘troll’ was born.

I'm sure many of you have heard of a troll before. A troll is someone who posts inflammatory, offensive, or off-topic comments or messages on the Internet, usually in social media sites or public forums, basically anyplace where the public can comment. Most people don't actually mean what they say; they just want to feed off your reaction. However, what many don't realize that their words have an actual impact towards the people they're aimed at. Many people don't see this as a joke, but they take it as a serious insult. The outcome of these incidents can be damaging to the recipient of the attack, and sometimes even fatal.

It has been reported that 15-25% of suicides committed per year is caused by bullying. 52% of students who reported being bullied, said that it occured online. People sometimes become depressed, upset, or just genuinely hurt, all because of someone's mean words, that may not even be true. This goes to show that online bullying and trolling isn't funny, isn't a game, and can come with serious consequences.  People have gone much too far with this recently. People are receiving extremely severe insults, many times even death threats. This is especially the case with people who are dating certain celebrities, who have large fanbases. Fortunately, when these virtual incidents happen in online public settings, there's usually someone there to fend off the bully and report them. However, not all of these encounters are public.

If you are being bullied online, whether it be public or through private message, you need to alert someone. If the bully is not able to be flagged or marked as spam, you should tell a parent, teacher, counsellor, or any other trusted adult. If you are too embarrassed to do this, you can go to the Kids Help Phone website and submit questions anonymously. If you see someone else being bullied, you should also report the culprit. This ensures that no one gets hurt any further, and the bully won't be around for a little while.

Online bullying is a growing issue, that happens worldwide. However, it can be prevented, and perhaps someday, it can even be stopped. With your help and cooperation, we can turn these trolls from fact to fiction. With your help, we can make the Internet an enjoyable place once again.