By Susan Isabella Sheehan - Cyberbullies - New Online Creatures :-)

March 21, 2008 by admin.

We have recently conducted a study of Cyberbullies which we are in the process of publishing on the Internet. Tom was stalked online as early as 1994, and since mid-2006, we have been stalked by a group of artistic Cyberbullies whose intent is to slander and defame us. We found their behaviors interesting and somewhat stereotypical of similar behaviors in society and groups, which is why we did the research on the cyber version.

The incidents are becoming increasingly common, as cited in the San Francisco Chronicle 03/17/2007. The article we read involves one fourteen year old girls struggle with these Cyberbullies who have stalked her relentlessly online during the last year. The taunting began when she was in sixth grade on a physical level, but escalated to online, specifically MySpace.com. She has since been taken out of school by her Mother, who plans to home school her and ban MySpace.com from their home computer. As her Mother stated “She would not know what kids were saying about her if she wasn’t on MySpace.”

These incidents are by no means harmless. In Vermont, a law was passed which requires schools to regulate bullies after a thirteen year old boy killed himself in 2003. The suicide was due to online instant messages which taunted him with threats, and proclaimed him to be of a different sexual orientation. The states of Oregon and Vermont are following suit by proposing similar legislation.

The following recommendations are provided in the event that anyone here is being bullied:

1) Don’t let them get a rise out of you. If there is no reaction, they will probably stop. Ignore and try not to retaliate.

2) If someone threatens you, don’t hesitate to contact the authorities.

3) Block them from communicating with you. If you are a member of a mutual site, you should be able to remove them from your friends list or bar them from comments.

4) Refrain from posting comments to them, or sending information which might be used against you.

5) If you have evidence of the bullying, save it. If you do not know who the bully is, try to find out.

6) Request that the bully stop.

7) Report the bully to the Web Site, ISP, or cell phone company.

Susan Isabella Sheehan
Copyright 2008 Surreal Digital Artist™

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