BY: CLAIRE KIM
Cyberbullying is just one of the many things teenagers don’t take seriously. There are countless reports of cyberbullying every day and we’re either not aware of it or just don’t care. Any form of cyberbullying can hurt one’s emotional or mental well being which is not acceptable. We sometimes overlook cyberbullying because there is a blurry line between direct contact. While other forms of harassment may be done at school or in public facilities, cyberbullying is a leeway from that. Since online bullying is through a set of screens and keyboards, people find it harder to understand the real weight their words have on us. They also often forget that cyberbullying is just as bad as any other form of harassment. Hateful comments, offensive language, and prejudiced words can lead to depression, self-hate, and even potential acts of suicide if taken too far. The main reason why cyberbullying is so common and so well guarded is because of anonymity. With the simple idea that no one will know who you are, people have a hate commenting spree without thinking of the consequences. Lately, the biggest trend online is this app called “Sarahah” which allows people to anonymously comment things to a person. I’ve seen things go way too far with it though. People start to spread hate, gossip, and negative vibes toward that one person as a target and the worst part is, the person doesn’t know who said those mean things. Other than this app, there has also been a recent case of attempted murder through offensive text messages between a former couple. As people, our nature is to point out the negatives rather than the positives. We tend to go immediately to the stronger instead of the weak. Our concept of common sense just doesn’t make any sense. Why do we hate? Why do we care about things that have no impact on our lives? Why do we break down bonds and build up fights? There are so many questions I have in this world that I still can’t help but not understand. Cyberbullying may be one issue, but looking at the entire situation of hate, we as humans have to stop criticizing each other and learn how to embrace each other instead.
claire kim. 