Think about your life throughout high school, and even now in college. Think of all the terrible things that you've seen said to people online, or have maybe even participated in saying, does it seem like that happened to you more than those older than you? That's because chances are, it did, and still does, happen to you more. Cyberbullying and cyberstalking are huge issues that plague our society in the age of social media. students, both in high school and college, and celebrities are the largest groups that fall victim to cyberstalking and cyberbullying the most. These issues are causing a significant increase in mental health problems in students and decreased productivity in the classroom, but despite these issues, schools aren't doing much to combat it. The way these issues affect celebrities also contributes to how much of a problem they are in schools, because students see the behavior that so many people have towards celebrities and copy that abuse onto their peers. We see this so commonly that we become almost numb to it. One of the biggest instances of cyberstalking and cyberbullying in recent years was the ICloud hacking that took place on August 31st of 2014, an event where over 100 celebrities ICloud and Google accounts were hacked and almost 500 private and intimate photos were leaked online to Reddit and 4Chan. This event caused a lot of harassment on the part of the celebrities involved, and a considerably smaller amount of harassment on the part of the hacker and users who leaked the images. Many celebrities even joined in berating others such as Perez Hilton who posted some of the photos on his blog site and Vanity Fair journalist Nick Bilton, who posted a tweet that blamed the celebrities for taking the nude and otherwise private photos in the first place. Attitudes like this are to blame for many of the cyberbullying and cyberstalking problems in our schools, and in our everyday lives. So next time you're browsing through your social media feed, think twice about what you're liking.
Author Neil Postman predicted the end of the world was near in 1985. He perceived that television would be the cause of a problematic future. Though negative in his views on the future of humanity, he had profound predictions, regardless of the time gap between now and then. When the television takeover emerged, Postman wrote, Amusing Ourselves to Death as an informational warning to society. He feared that writings would vanish and people would rely on the entertainment industry for their news and discoveries rather than learning about history about those who wrote it down. Today, not only is the television prevalent, it is a necessity for every home. The elderly, adults, teens, children, toddlers and infants are watching screens nowadays and the effect it has on the American society is substantial. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the video deficit, or the recommendation of moderate usage for infants under the age of two, is being defied by guardians. When offi...
One thing that really made me sad and also made me think was your comment about becoming numb to cyberbullying. It's so true, we see it so often and encounter it (as a bystander, victim, or even possibly the instigator) so much that it never shocks us anymore... and that is really upsetting. It also made me wonder what we can possibly do to slow/stop this seemingly overwhelming and huge problem. As you mentioned cyberbullying has become more normalized and even sometimes celebrated when it happens to celebrities, this is also numbing us out to the cruelty of it and maybe it has to start there. Maybe if we started with denormalizing it when it occurs with popular figures and influencers within society it would get the ball rolling and be a jumping off point for eradicating and resensitizing us to it as a whole.... i'm not sure if there is any perfect answer or method but talking about it and thinking about like we are here is a start.
ReplyDeleteSo because celebrities are saying that they are being affected by bullying, will change how society acts? I think that they, as common named people have the potential to influence powers higher than normal folk using platforms. Without those who can speak the truth, it is difficult for others to follow when they have no stand against higher powers. What will it take for a generation to change the future? I don't think celebrities are the ones that will make the difference, but the majority of people who advocate against bullying, whether hat means refraining from it and standing up to it, to creating conversations of change and engaging with emotion. Each person has an impact, and those who are nameless can have a big impact on many.
ReplyDeleteI don't think about how vulnerable we are online very often and how numb we are to cyberbullying. It sometimes feels hard to have empathy for celebrities who are being bullied online, but I do think it contributes to our culture of cyberbullying!
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