Effort to Reduce Tension Caused by Adult Cyber-Bullying

Subject: Invitation to Offer Ideas for Easing Anxiety of Adult Victims of Cyber-Bullying

Hi, my name is Terri and I am a student studying conflict resolution. I am opening this thread to obtain the online community’s input on reducing anxiety experienced by adults who are being bullied on Internet sites. I have read articles and learned that such activity has led to depression and suicide in victims. I talked to others about it and I’m posting the ideas they came up with. Would you join the conversation? Thank you!

Ideas About Adult Cyber-Bullying (Please Comment on Something Here or Add a New Idea)

1. Sites that promote discussion of people are primarily social and for fun, nothing more. The content should not be considered a true assessment of the targeted person’s personality, lifestyle, values, character, employability, or reputation.

2. Some people view Internet attacking as bullying, and others view the same behavior as the right to free speech.

3. People bully others online because they are infatuated with them.

4. People bully others online because they think there may be a personal or an economic gain. (Example: posting negative comments about a rival or competitor.)

5. People bully others online who they don’t know and have never met.

6. People bully others online because ….. (finish the sentence)

10. What seems like a mob bullying someone is usually one person orchestrating “chats” using multiple usernames.

11. People who get thrown out of discussions for bad behavior normally return under a different username.

12. Anyone should be suspicious of an online forum that only accepts negative commentary about a particular individual or group.

13. People on the Internet may not be the same sex, race, or resident of the area they claim.

14. Bosses shouldn’t evaluate or fire people based on what is said on Internet forums using false identities. They should check it out first.

16. Not everyone who posts information is reliable or stable.

What Can We (the Internet Community) Do? (Please Answer 1 or More)

1. (Complete the following sentence) “People who are targeted would feel less under attack if …”
2. (Complete the following sentence) “Looking back on my participation on a dialogue about someone, I wish I had ……”
3. (Complete the following sentence) “I used an anonymous persona. If the person had known it was me, he/she would have ….”
4. (Complete the following sentence) “I know/knew someone who was being cyber-attacked. Looking back on the situation, I should have helped him/her by ….” (doing what?)