Modern technology has become popular over the past few years. It has however both pros and cons. On one hand, it provides connectivity among people worldwide. On the other hand, it has been used by internet criminals to cause pain and emotional distress to a great deal of people worldwide (Michel, 2011). One of the major social problems associated with modern technology is cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is an act that affects victims both emotionally and psychologically. . This type of bullying uses information technology to transmit intimidating or abusive messages through various avenues. These avenues include social network sites, online websites and other online platforms that students can use for educational purposes. The act has more specifically affected young adults, massively especially college students. This basically leads to lack of concentration in school among students due to emotional distress. Consequently, their academic results as well as progress is negatively affected (Juliana, 2010).
Several studies have found out that both the victims and bully-victims performed dismally when performance was measured. However, Woods and Wolke (2004) found no direct relationships between bullying and academic achievement. Egerberg et al. (2006) posited that that subjects of bullying exhibit lower levels of academic achievements. This view is also held by Kowalski and Limber (2013) who also found that bullying has negative impacts on academic performance. They stated that the greatest effect was experienced by victims of cyber bullying. However, Tokunaga (2010) does not concur with this argument and states that there is need to set good definitions on cyber bullying including the integration of more complex issues associated with cyber bullying to provide a good basis for empirical research.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Nonetheless, cyber bullying has also its positive side. The fact that it usually occurs over the internet makes it among other social ills that are found on the internet. There are many negative things on the internet that one needs not be exposed to. These make most victims of cyber bullies to avoid internet due to the fear of being humiliated. Some of these ills that students avoid as a result of accessing the internet include pornography, child pornography, cybercrime, and all other negative things that are found on the internet. This helps them in their social development because they are not exposed to the many social ills that are found on the internet. Additionally, another thing about cyber bullying is that it is often done by attacking the personal traits of an individual such as their race, gender, religion, physical attributes, values, and so on. The attacker is usually more confident to be as cruder as possible because he feels safe and far. This same situation works both ways because the victim can also use the opportunity to defend himself as strongly as possible. Cyber bullying, therefore, empowers many students to learn to stand up for themselves and ward off cyber bullies and would-be bullies. Another advantage that cyber bullying provides an element of proof to the victim. Since most of the bullying is done through text, graphics, or videos, it is very easy for parents and teachers to identify the problem areas experienced by their children or students. These forms of writings can never be taken back once written and this provides clear evidence that cyber bullying is taking place. The evidence can be used to solve cases of cyber bullying and address the issue of academic performance (Chang et al., 2013
Cyber bullying can also be looked at from the perspective of the bully. When attacking others through the internet the cyber bully develops a sense of power and confidence. This greatly enhances his level of self-esteem and makes him feel psychologically. It gives him a sense of provide. To the bully, the existence of modern technology creates an avenue for him to develop his sense of pride and self-esteem. Some cyber bullies suffer from conditions of low-self- esteem and the internet gives them a chance to enhance their self-esteem. However, this is a minimalist view that does not help to justify cyber bullying (HRF, 2014).
Despite its effects on the younger generation, cyber bullying is a global problem that hasn’t received the attention it deserves especially by higher learning institutions, parents and teachers, Therefore, college students have remained at the mercy of cyber bullies, and they continue to suffer silently, and in addition to the effects of academic achievement, this is a potential cause of problems such as depression among young adults (Kubiszewski, 2012).
Cyber bullying generally affects the general well-being at school. The only influence that cyber bullying has on academic achievements is negative. Lowered school performance is a major negative effect of cyber bullying. Cyber bullied students usually have a constant fear of standing out and this greatly affects their academic performance since they are usually unable to participate in school related activities. Additionally, the victims of cyber bullying may experience physical problems such as headaches and tummy pains. These may affect their ability to attend school or participate in class. Consequently, this leads to loss of interests in school and thereby decreased academic performance. Additionally, cyber bullying leads to low self-esteem and confidence, sometimes depression, and suicidal thoughts. Such issues generally lead to reduced performance (Nuticcelli, 2013; Chang et al., 2013; Suzuki et al., 2012; Kubiszewski, 2012).
It’s important to note that the negative effects of cyber bullying are not as a result of incompetence but rather due to fear and avoidance. Technology coupled with technological skills, are important aspects of modern education. However cyber bullied students find it difficult to participate in online related classes and education sessions, which ultimately lead to difficulty of learning computer skills. This leaves them without the knowledge that their counterparts who do not experience cyber bullying have. Technological advancements make it easy to spread cyber bullying material to millions of people within minutes. For instance, a classmate who is a cyber-bullied may decide to spread humiliating content about a fellow classmate (victim); this content will end up reaching school mates as well as mutual friends and other classmates. Technological skills and technology are of utmost importance in today’s professional training and modern academics. By avoiding such skills, cyber bullied students expose themselves to a number of career and academic risks which is mainly caused by fear and not incompetence (Nuccitelli, 2013).
Inasmuch as cyber bullying is regarded as negative it also has its own positive side. However, negative effects of cyber bullying especially on college students outweigh, by far, the positive effects. It is in this respect that measures need to be taken to address this situation. However, it’s unfortunate that not enough action is being taken to help victims affected by cyber bullying. Scholars have established that the rapid manner in which technology is advancing will only lead to worsening of this criminal act and hence more people will be affected. Additionally, the social stigma associated with cyber bullying makes it difficult for victims to make complaints whether to their school, authorities or even parents. As a result, they continue to suffer silently. However, this can be avoided if institutional authorities, parents and teachers become more engaged with the students as this will enable them realize early enough in case of such an occurrence. Therefore, cyber bullying being a new research area, a lot of studies needs to be conducted to establish its source and how it can be handled effectively.
References
Chang, F.C., Lee, C.M., Chiu, C.H., Hsi, W.Y., Huang, T.F., & Pan, Y.C. (2013). Relationships among cyber bullying, school bullying, and mental Taiwanese adolescents. Journal of School Health, 83, 6, 454-462.
Health Research Funding. (2014). The pros and cons of cyber bullying. Retrieved from: https://healthresearchfunding.org/pros-cons-cyber-bullying/
Egeberg, G., Thorvaldsen, S., & Rønning, J. A. (2016). The Impact of Cyber bullying and Cyber Harassment on Academic Achievement. Elstad (Ed.), Digital Expectations and Experiences in Education, 183–204.
Kowalski, R. M., & Limber, S. P. (2013). Psychological, physical, and academic correlates of cyber bullying and traditional bullying. The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 53, 1, 13-20.
Kubiszewski, V., Fontaine, R., Hure, K., & Rusch, E. (2013). Cyber-bullying in adolescents: Associated psychosocial problems and comparison with school bullying. Encephale, 39, 77-84.
Nuccitelli, M. (2013, November 4). Cyber bullying and academic impact. Education News. Retrieved from http://www.educationviews.org/cyberbullying-academic-impact/
Suzuki, K., Asaga, R., Sourander, A., Hoven, C. W., & Mandell, D. (2012). Cyber bullying and adolescent mental health. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 24, 1, 27-35.
Tokunaga, R. S. (2010). Following you home from school: A critical review and synthesis of research on cyber bullying victimization. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 3, 277-287.
Woods, S., & Wolke, D. (2004). Direct and relational bullying among primary school children and academic achievement. Journal of School Psychology, 42, 2, 135-155.
