Preface to "Is Cyberbullying a Major Problem?"

Cyberbullying, or online harassment, is dependent on technology. This means that the way the technology functions can have a major effect on whether, and to what extent, cyberbullying occurs. A software app like Secret for the iPhone, then, can potentially facilitate and encourage cyberbullying.

That at least has been the cause for some concern about Secret, according to Parker Marie Molloy who wrote about the app for Bustle. Molloy explains that the app allows users to post messages anonymously. Cofounder David Byttow compared the app to a "masquerade ball" where, he says, "You know who's on the guest list, but you don't know who is saying what."1 Byttow says people will hear each other's "internal dialogues" and gain a sense of "belonging or validation."

Molloy, however, points out that in initial reviews of the app, users do not say they are validated. Instead they report that the app has been used for bullying and harassment. This is consistent with earlier apps that promised anonymity, such as PostSecret, a 2012 app that was discontinued after its developer realized it was being used for cyberbullying.

Cecilia Kang at The Washington Post, however, suggests that apps allowing anonymity have proliferated because there is a desire for them among teen users. Teens want to interact on social media, but they know that anything they say on Facebook or Twitter or other social media sites is permanently available. As Kang states, "They know that future employers and college recruiters are likely to sift carefully through their Twitter and Facebook accounts."2 Anonymous apps allow teens to share information without having to worry about leaving a permanent record of everything they say or do.

Still, concerns about cyberbullying persist. Nick Bilton at The New York Times reports that many adults in Silicon Valley, where the Secret app debuted, have deleted it because it encourages abuse and cyberbullying—and, again, this is in a community of adults. Yik Yak, an app similar to Secret, decided to ban middle and high school students and to disable the app around schools after reports that it had been used for bullying and even for bomb threats. Secret, for its part, says it is going to add features to allow users to ban those who post abusive messages. Whether such fixes will be enough to prevent cyberbullying on the app is unclear.

The rest of this chapter discusses other issues of cyberbullying, such as whether cyberbullying is different than regular bullying and whether it is increasing or decreasing.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2015 Greenhaven Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning.

Source Citation

"Preface to 'Is Cyberbullying a Major Problem?'." Bullying. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.

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