The Kathy Sierria story is to cyberbullying as 9-11 is to terrorism. It’s not that cyberbullying has never taken place but having it happen to someone as high profile as Kathy Sierra brings attention to the problem in a light many have not considered.
I’ve got two concerns about the way things are unfolding. One is the tendency of the media and even bloggers to blow this out of proportion. The other is the focus on cyberbullying as a unique, stand alone issue.
Most of us are aware cyberbullying has always taken place and will always take place. Evil exists. Many have taken this particular incident to perpetuate fear and hysteria around blogging. One reaction certainly to emerge from this is a continued push to ban or restrict the freedom many of enjoy. Some are advocating cyber cops. What is the cost of protection against cyberbullying going to be?
I look at what has become of airport security and the cost behind that and question if it’s really necessary. Those who call for zero tolerance at any cost have to be questioned. The 9-11 and Kathy Sierra incidents are the extremes. We need to keep that in perspective.
My wife told me today of a student that may be potentially entering school in the fall. This student has severe allergies that are fatal. Any whiff of scented perfumes or hair products may be fatal for the child. Is school the best place for him? Can we be sure no one enters the building with hair gel? What is the cost to insure this child is safe? I wonder where we draw the line?
The other issue I have is with focusing on cyberbullying as something unique. While we understand people may act differently online and have the ability occupy a different persona, the issues are societal. I think the best efforts of school to deal with bullying tends to be helping victims and bystanders deal with the evils of bullying. I like Tim O’Reilly’s code of conduct but as Clarence says, this is just common sense. Just as there are a variety of cancers, the goal is to cure cancer. It doesn’t matter if it’s breast cancer, lung cancer or prostate cancer. Yes, there may be preventive measures for specific cancers but the cure for all cancer is the same.
I don’t think we need to draw attention to this anymore than we should draw attention to all the other evils that exist in the world. There are quite few. Certainly those that have been impacted by evil will want to shed light on their particular issue. But without perspective, the general public are often swayed against the truth. Given the amount of data that runs through the pipes of the internet everyday, the amount of cyberbullying has to be minuscule. I joined the cyberbullying social network created by Andy Carvin but now I doubt I’ll be there much (not just because as Will and David I don’t really get it) because the tone of those networks tend to see cyber-bullying as something different than bullying. I see the differences but I don’t think they are great. While I’ve given up on privacy, I’ve not given up on defending against bullying.
So:
- let’s be sure to model good manners online and offline
- let’s stand up against bullies
- let’s be accountable for our words and actions
- But let’s consider the cost of regulations and policies that might rob us from the power and freedom we currently have online
For more on this, read Laura Moncur’s take and listen to Steve Dembo’s podcast.
I’m sure many will disagree with me and I welcome those comments.
[tags]cyberbullingy, stopcyberbullying, andycarvin,stevedembo,lauramoncur,kathysierra,[/tags]
Note: Not sure why Andy Carvin’s comments didn’t show up by did receive comment notification via email…Here’s what Andy said,
I’d be curious to hear more about your concern that the stop cyberbullying network tends to see cyberbullying as something different than offline bullying. I’d be surprised if that many people in the group actually feel that way, so I was wondering where you were picking up that vibe….
Thanks Andy for your comments. Although, there is much I would agree with on the site, but like DOPA, focusing on the “bad stuff” often leads to unwanted results.
Whenever I’ve been asked to consult on a cyberbullying issue in schools, I quickly respond by asking to discuss this outside of technology. Steve Dembo’s podcast gets at this quite insightfully. I’m more apt to want to take the the cyber out of bullying.
How do we take away the power from bullies in the schoolyard? By teaching kids to tell someone about it, bring into the open and expose the bully who derives his or her power from the intimidation and secrecy that bullying involves. It’s exactly why so much cyber-bullying is under invented nicknames and anonymity – bullies fear exposure, and bank on the fact that people will keep this sort of stuff under wraps. Because bullying is the issue – the cyber is just another avenue – we don’t differentiate when offensive notes are written (literacy bullying perhaps?) as compared to verbal or physical bullying. The media does tend to blow things up and make it sound like cyberbullying is rampant, just because they have a high profile example to hang their hats on. But I agree with you – cyberbullying is still the same age old beast, dressed in modern clothing.
Dean,
I agree with what you (and Grant) are saying about cyber-bullying being very much like regular bullying, although the lack of face-to-face contact with the victim can make it easier for the bully to act this way without feeling as heavy a consequence.
I don’t think that designated cybercops are the answer either. I do think (as Grant said) that pressure from other’s in the cyber community is important.
Most importantly, however, is the very same goal that we have in terms of face-to-face bullying – we should be doing all we can to prevent bullying in the first place, by strengthening the sense of community (strong support from others = lower impact from bullying discouraging bullying in the first place).
Finally, it is important to note that in many cases the bully has been bullied by someone else. Stopping it before it spreads should be our ultimate goal.
Hey Dean!
Thank you so much for the link! It took me a long time to write that entry. I had Mike read it before I posted it (which I only do when I’m worried that I’m on a tirade).
This whole thing has been a bloody mess, but it sure feels good to know that I’m not alone in the cyberthreat world…
Thanks again,
Laura
Dean, I agree wholeheartedly with you and Gary. We are not seeing anything different than we have before except it is in a new format. This is a societal issue that needs to be addressed as a whole not in any one part. As an administrator, I often deal with instances of bullying, trying to distinguish what is, in fact, bullying and what is a disagreement between two children. Why is this any different than, say, the paparazzi photographing people who don’t want to be photographed? Really, we’ve grown to accept a certain amount of bullying, even enjoying it at times as we see yet another person fall into disgrace. To overcome this, we, as a society, need to rethink what we allow whether it is on the net, in the rink, on the playground or in our backyards. You’re right, bullying is bullying, doesn’t matter where.
Hi here a nice clip about feelings when unasked taking photo s its an act of bullying i think .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiAF_8GEC_0
[...] posted a while back that I wasn’t sure we needed to distinguish between bullying and cyberbullying. I still feel this way. We know that good and bad isn’t predicated because of technology. [...]
[...] posted a while back that I wasn’t sure we needed to distinguish between bullying and cyberbullying. I still feel this way. We know that good and bad isn’t predicated because of technology. [...]
can we do something like start more websites to stop cyber bullying, and better yet, stop all sorts of bullying?
STOP CYBER BULLYING!!