We live in a world of astoundingly speedy change. The stunning developments in technology and the rapid progress evident in today’s knowledge era are undisputedly way different from the previous decades.
We live in an age that can be seen as a consequence of the shift from industrial production to production that is based on information and computerization. According to Gorey and Dobat (1996) in the knowledge era, services and products are composed of more intellect and less labor. This is also accompanied by the existence of a wealth creation that is eclipsed by the significance of intellect.
Despite all the positive outcomes of the knowledge-based economy such as finding cures for several diseases or inventing electric cars, the risks and threats are of high importance as well. Threats to nation-state security such as cyberterrorism and threats to individuals such as the violation of privacy rights and cyberbullying have become quite critical in the contemporary world.
The digitalization of several activities in various fields including online money transactions, communication, and socialization on social media platforms pose significant risks for both people and companies. This article is an attempt to analyze “cyberbullying” as a new form of human rights violation. After providing the definition of the term “cyberbullying” the effects of it will be covered. Finally, cyberbullying in the Turkish context will be addressed.
Cyberbullying: Definition, Context, and Circumstances
Cyberbullying as one of the major threats for social media users is defined as “bullying with the use of digital technologies”. This form of bullying can occur on social media, messaging and gaming platforms, and mobile devices. Hinduja and Patchin (2008) define cyberbullying as willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.
Cyberbullying includes sending or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about others. It is to be noted that, face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying can often exist side by side. However, cyberbullying leaves a digital footprint: a record that can provide evidence to help stop the abuse.
According to the official web page of the U.S. government, cyberbullying can occur through SMS, and apps, or online through social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, false, or mean content about others.
Some of the most common cyberbullying tactics include:
“Posting comments or rumors about someone online that are mean, or embarrassing; threatening to hurt someone or telling them to kill themselves; posting a mean or hurtful picture or video; pretending to be someone else online in order to solicit or post personal or false information about someone else; posting mean or hateful names, comments, or content about any race or religion or other personal characteristics online; creating a mean or hurtful webpage about someone; doxing, an abbreviated form of the word documents, is a form of online harassment used to exact revenge and to threaten and destroy the privacy of individuals by making their personal information public, including addresses, social security, credit card and phone numbers, links to social media accounts, and other private data.”
There are a number of significant questions that need to be answered in order to fight cyberbullying such as “How do I prevent my personal information from being used to manipulate or humiliate me on social media?” Thinking twice before posting anything on social media platforms is one of the key steps to being aware of such risks.
There are various harmful effects of cyberbullying. According to UNICEF, these effects can last for a long time and affect a person in multiple ways. A person who has been subjected to cyberbullying can feel upset, ashamed, and depressed. In physical terms, cyberbullying causes exhaustion, loss of sleep, and psychosomatic pain like stomach aches.
In order to prevent the spread of cyberbullying activities, both states and NGOs should take action based on laws and institutions. Risks and threats in cyberspace are too complex to deal with a one-sided approach.
Cyberbullying in the Turkish Context
According to Campbell, the international literature on cyberbullying focuses on variables such as gender bullying versus cyberbullying, culture, psychology, and means of bullying. With regard to Turkish academia, it is not possible to conduct extensive research on cyberbullying. Based on the data provided on the website www.cyberbullying.org/research/map/turkey it is obvious that the publications are not extensive and the recent research needs to be improved in several layers including the historical development of the term in Turkish academia.
Cyberbullying in Turkey was carried out by mostly males who were both anonymous and characterized by “hostility and psychoticism [which] predicted cyberbullying” (Arıcak, 2009). According to expert views, a quarter of Turkish youths are exposed to cyberbullying at least once in their lifetime.
Ways to combat cyberbullying in Turkey are not very institutionalized besides being weak in legal terms. The policies to regulate cyberspace including personal data protection and the prevention of cyberbullying require robust legal and structural regulation and the current government has a long way to go to achieve this.
References
Arıcak, O. T. (2009). Psychiatric symptomatology as a predictor of cyberbullying among university students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (EJER), (34).
Campbell, M. (2005). Cyber Bullying: An Old Problem in a New Guise? Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 15(1), pp. 68-76.
Gorey, R. M., & Dobat, D. R. (1996). Managing in the knowledge era. The systems thinker, 7(8), 1-5.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2008). Cyberbullying: An exploratory analysis of factors related to offending and victimization. Deviant behavior, 29(2), 129-156.
Photograph: Possessed Photography