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Assignment about Anonymous Cyber Bullying on Social Media to a targeted victim who is not able to protect themselves

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Anonymous Cyber Bullying on Social Media

1.0          Introduction

Cyber bullying is the act of harassing, threating or passing an abusive message repetitively over the internet to a targeted victim who is not able to protect themselves from the bullies.  Cyber bullying also called cyber harassment, electronic bullying, and cyber stalking or cyber abuse is carried out by cyber bullies who intentionally send messages with intentions to harm the receivers (Smith & Steffen, 2013). This crime is commonly reported among the youth and teenagers who are in the self-discovery and experimenting stage. Statistics show that at least 34% of youths experience cyber bullying while 15% confess of bullying others. Anonymous cyber bullying is a situation where cyber bullies hide their identity behind the electronic screens while transmitting the harmful messages. The cyber bullies mainly use social media platforms which include twitter, short messages, Facebook, Instagram, Skype, MySpace, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.

This paper discusses anonymous cyber bullying on social media with a focus on the implications of using anonymous message platforms. It contains the introduction, forms of cyber bullying, anonymous message platforms, implications, preventive or control measures and conclusion.

2.0 Forms of cyber bullying

World journal of education 2015 research findings discovered that just like traditional bullying, cyber bullying is a wide area of crime ant takes different forms. The various forms maybe direct or direct depending on their nature. Direct cyber bullying may include attack on your device, personal or image while indirect cyber bullying included indirect attack on your device, your personality or ones image.  The paper will discuss common types of cyber bullying that occurs in anonymous social media platforms.

2.1          Outing

This is an intentional act by a cyber-bully to humiliate an individual by posting harmful information such as nude photos, private conversations and any information an individual considers private without their consent (Katz, 2012). This form of cyber bullying is meant to destroy public image of the victim.

2.2          Exclusion

This involves targeted victim being left out from conversations, events or groups organized online with an aim to hurt them.

2.3          Harassment

These involve use of abusive or threat messages repetitively and send directly to target victim with an intention of causing them fear or pain. The victim in this case has no control or able to avoid receipt of these messages as bullies have multichannel ways of ensuring hey reach the target.

2.4          Identity theft

Cyber bullies may choose to take identity of their target victim and create Fake profiles which they use to transmit harmful information.  This may include use of email accounts, Facebook page, twitter handle, or Skype account with the victim’s identity. This may in extreme cases used by conmen and cowwomen or criminals who want to frame the victim into a crime them intent to commit.

2.5          Cyber trailing

This involves the bullies fooling their targets on every move they make online. The cyber bullies maybe having access to the targets program and demand for a meeting of else they will show up. This form is meant to threaten safety and deprive privacy of the targeted victim.

2.6          Frapping

This occurs when unauthorized individual gets access to the target account and posts harmful content in the name of the victim. Frapping is mainly used in transmitting hate speech and destroy victim’s reputation.

2.7          Dissing

Dissing is the act of sending or posting cruel information about your child online, to damage their reputation or friendships with others. It can also include posting material online such as photos, screenshots or videos. The cyber bully wants to put the victim down, so draws attention to what others are saying about them to tries to make other people think they’re not cool. The cyber bully is often someone known to the victim.

2.8          Trickery

This aims at winning the victims trust and then entice them to share their private information. In turn the cyber bully produces tis obtained private information online or to third party with an intention to hurt or defame the victim.

3.0 Anonymous Message Platforms

There are varieties of anonymous social media platforms used to share message in our markets today (Smith & Steffen, 2013). The common platforms are

3.1          Sarahah

This is a messaging app that allows users to leave anonymous messages on other users profiles

3.2          Whisper

This messaging platform allows its users to share messages and photos via memes

3.3          Wut

This platform allows its users to share anonymous messages on Facebook

3.4          Popcorn messaging

Popcorn messaging allows messaging with audience that’s one mile radius. 

3.5          Rumr

This allows people known to each other create chat and hide their identity while participating

3.6          Wondr

This reveals the senders identity but gives anonymity to respondents on twitter

3.7          Roomvine

This allows messaging strangers within your area

3.8          Kindly

This is a platform that allows one ask questions that he or shies not willing to ask to those around them

3.9          Anomo

This app helps connect people with similar interests anonymously

3.10        Truth

This allows one to anonymously share a message to people in their contact list.

3.11        Psst

This allows its users to share views on any topic ranging from political to social and religious the messages are visible for only fort-eight hours.

4              The Implications of Using Anonymous Message Platforms

The use of anonymity is essential among the youth to help them communicate their fears, share information and ask confidential questions without the fear of being criticized since identity is hidden. However, it’s a concern why should anyone be interested in hiding their identity while community.  This section will address the implications of using anonymous message platforms.

4.1          Fear

Cyber bullies who are Anonymous internet users are afraid of being tracked (Dwivedi, Mäntymäki & Clement, 2016). This is because they may post treats and harassments to targets who may be willing to know them and hit back a research on youth and the internet shows that youths are shy to ask questions to people around them and thus seek anonymity so that no one will know if its them. Additionally professional individuals don’t want to mix their career life with social life as it may destroy their public image. This fear among the members of the society has contributed into development of anonymity platforms where far-victims can seek anonymity.

4.2          Increased cyber violence

According to World Journal of Education, 2015, anonymous media is mainly used to convey harmful contents such as threats, harassments, pin down messages that lower the self-esteem of the target victim. Additionally, anonymous messages are used to encourage suicide to its victims as it is evidenced by the figure below,

 

Figure 1.2 messages that encourage suicide

When this violence is not controlled, the victims may end up committing suicide due to feeling unworthy.

4.3          The need for freedom

The rising desire for freedom of expression is a society that is ready to pin you down, troll you or even embarrass you. People are then forced to hold the urge to speak out. I’m escape from this trauma people have sought anonymous platforms such as kindly and truth that allows the air their issues without revealing their identity thus protection their public image.

4.4          Public Image

There rising demand to protect your publicity is demanding. Haters and opponents who are in pursuit to defame ones publicity are cyber trolling all the social media activities looking for loophole to attack. This results to the dire need for one to act anonymous when sharing the messages that can be used against them.

4.5          Honesty

Responses given to an anonymous message are more genuine as compared to messages with identity. The rising trend of giving biased information in  mission to please the inquirer, being mean with information or having biased response has forced the researcher or just internet users to act anonymously when gathering responses. This enables one to receive honest responses

4.6          Trust Issue

People no longer trust indents of taking online surveys and providing personal data. As a result people prefer responding to survey and giving their opinions anonymously. Additionally some online sites are not trustworthy as they can spread malware and ransom ware to user devices. To stay safe from these attacks users can consult anonymously without raising alarm of possible threats in a particular site.

4.7          To Whistle blow

Whistleblowers expose crimes happening in the country. To avoid government harassment or stalking by the criminals involved, they prefer using anonymous platforms and air their voice. Some issues whistleblowers seek anonymity are such as exposing extra judicial killings, exposing corruption scandals, exposing threats from prominent people, exposing harassment on institutions among others.

5.0 Controlling cyber bullying

Individuals and society at large can control cyber bullying through.

           5.1 Use of firewalls

These are security walls protecting the private network from the untrusted internet. They ensure that those not within the network cannot have access to information shared on the private network. There are different kinds of firewalls which have been used in aim to control cyber bullying. They include packet filtering, circuit-level gateway implementations and web application firewall. In Mac OS X and Windows, firewalls are normally built in the operating system.

5.2          Creation of cyber laws

This involves the government coming up with laws that protect its citizens from cybercrimes such as cyber bullying. For instance in Saudi Arabia there is a law that if one is convicted with cyber bullying crime is entitled to a fine of up to $133,225 or a one year imprisonment or both (Alsharif, 2018). This has helped in reduced the levels of cyber bullying in the country.

5.3          Creating security awareness

Individuals are encouraged to gather information from all possible sources on how to identify security threats. The technology is advancing at a very significant rate and so should be everyone using technological devices to help prevent cyber bullying. Members of society should be informed on how to update antivirus on the devices and update their software and apps to more secure versions or of latest technology.

5.4          Use of trusted sites

The sites used to download apps for individual use should be trusted. The downloaded apps should have the capability to detect phishing attacks, scam and hoax messages, create a warning alert when you try to open an insecure site and are able to detect malware and ransom ware appropriately. This helps in preventing scammers deliver anonymous messages to your inbox.

    5.5 Encouraging victims to report cyber bullying

To urge the general population to report cybercrimes, the experts have enabled courts to exclude from punishments the individuals who do as such. In situations where the culprit of a wrongdoing did not know they were abusing the law, or before any damage has been caused, punishments may likewise be postponed. Moreover, the youths should have standby counselors and mentors who are free such that they can open up their fears. Parents should be encouraged to be open and friendly to their children. This is to help the children to report any cyber bullying before it reaches its extremes. Additionally, when anyone is threatened for a meeting through cyber stalking, they should have company or inform the authorities to ensure security before and during the meeting. This will aid much in reducing the cyber bullying crime.

6              Conclusion

 

In conclusion, the use of anonymous messaging platforms as much as it has brought benefits to they that fear or are shy communicating, it has also impacted negatively the use of internet.  There is increase in cyber violence, cyber stalking which at some cases has led to killing of the victims, intrusion of people’s privacy, impersonation and hacking. The anonymous media recommendation rate is very low because of the many disadvantages it has come with. Government should then be in frontline to fight anonymous cyber bullying across all social media platform and still be in control of instant messaging too. Therefore before a firm invests in developing an anonymous media platform, before users subscribe to the platforms, everyone should weigh the positive and negative impacts it will cause the society.


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