SouthernGirl
New member
I just read a confession by a woman who harassed victims on the Internet. She said: "My way of dealing with ... pain was to go online and take it out on nameless, faceless [other people on the Internet], and I posted things to people that would probably [have] resulted in me being beaten up [had I said the same thing to their faces]." Her weapons of choice were racial slurs and vulgar names. Later, the death of a close family member prompted her to reevaluate her life. She realized that her online persona was not a reflection of her true character, and she stopped.
I was also the victim of a cyber-bully. In my case, someone I didn't even know persistently bullied me online over a 3-year period, then stopped. Like other victims of online bullying, I experienced sleeplessness, stress, anxiety, and self-isolation. Other victims have become depressed, and have had thoughts/ acts of suicide. Now I'm a student studying Conflict Resolution and hoping to help others. Please help me answer two questions:
1. How can the Internet community induce bullies to find other means of expressing their frustrations, and stop their destructive activity?
2. More importantly, what can the Internet community do to create peace in the cyber domain?
(My name is Terri and I appreciate this site and community. Thank you!)
I was also the victim of a cyber-bully. In my case, someone I didn't even know persistently bullied me online over a 3-year period, then stopped. Like other victims of online bullying, I experienced sleeplessness, stress, anxiety, and self-isolation. Other victims have become depressed, and have had thoughts/ acts of suicide. Now I'm a student studying Conflict Resolution and hoping to help others. Please help me answer two questions:
1. How can the Internet community induce bullies to find other means of expressing their frustrations, and stop their destructive activity?
2. More importantly, what can the Internet community do to create peace in the cyber domain?
(My name is Terri and I appreciate this site and community. Thank you!)