Cyberbullying – also called online bullying – is a very complex issue. It can be defined as any behaviour that repeatedly makes someone feel upset, uncomfortable and/or unsafe. This is usually deliberate, and can take forms such as verbal, indirect and physical.
It can be an extension of face-to-face bullying, with the technology offering the bully another route for harassing their victim, or can be simply without motive. It can occur using practically any form of connected media, from nasty text and image messages using mobile phones, to unkind blog and social networking posts, or emails and instant messages, to malicious websites created solely for the purpose of intimidating an individual or virtual abuse during an online multiplayer game. Moreover, (cyber-) bullying can also be done through isolation or exclusion (i.e. someone posts content and no one likes or comments on it).
Cyberbullying differs from other forms of bullying in several ways: it can invade the home and personal space of the victim, the potential size of the audience is much greater, upsetting messages or images can be spread at great speed, and there is difficulty in controlling and/or removing anything posted or circulated electronically. Also, because of its faceless nature, there is often a perceived anonymity to cyberbullying. This can lead to people becoming involved in activities that they wouldn't dream of in the real world, whether as the perpetrator or as a bystander.
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