For my first research topic I chose the issue of cyber bullying, this is a serious and fast emerging issue. I also chose this topic because I have dealt first hand with cyber bullying and I felt at ease writing something that I feel familiar with and something that connects both education and technology. Cyber bullying has become an increasingly common occurrence in schools over the recent years, with a recorded number of deaths from it as well as the rise of depression in teenagers, and the joining of suicide groups that are believed to be linked to cyber bullying. I decided to focus my research that links with the question “What is cyber bullying and how is it portrayed by the media?” and my research together.
My first entry is titled Cyber Bullying 101, which I decided to focus mainly on what exactly cyber bullying is so that I could better define and analysis my work afterwards. I also decided to mix this with a YouTube clip that I found of where a 13 year old girl committed suicide after a boy turned nasty on the internet. The YouTube clip had Tyra Banks a well known female role model for young girls worldwide discussing the effects of cyber bullying. I believe the choice of Tyra Banks doing this report was made so that the media could use a powerful influence to help put a stop to or help reduce cyber bullying.
But despite using a well known influence and telling the story of a young girl’s death they didn’t use statistics or even tell the viewers that the person behind the cyber bullying attacks was put behind bars, convicted, regrets what they did, etc/ There was no sorry closure to the attack. But they did promote a positive view when the mother of the daughter said “I am no longer full of hate towards them.” Them of course being the people involved in the attack, the mother also states that she now goes into schools across America and talks about cyber bullying and help try to put an end to it. This clip would have been better with the use of statistics or telling if a sizeable amount of laws or legislations being put into place as a result of the death of this girl, but they fail to do this.
My second entry focuses on some of the methods that are being used on preventing cyber bullying, which is why there is now cyber bullying prevention ads. The ad that I have used states “If you wouldn’t say it in person why say it online?”(1) It says this after a girl gets up on stage and gives a nasty speech on another girl in her class. Although this ad is eye opening and pretty much has a wow factor, it doesn’t have the correct wording in place to fully help prevent cyber bullying. The ad says “if you wouldn’t say it in person why say it online,” (1) but truth be told a lot of teenagers do say a lot of nasty stuff in person and that is called bullying. When doing it online is cyber bullying. The media’s approach to this should have realised that there is a difference and it would have been appropriate to suit the need to prevent and discourage cyber bullying, hence not making the prevention ad as effective as it could possibly be.
My third and fourth journal entries are similar with one being a report presented by A Current Affair that showed a school yard attack by a group of girls with one victim and was recorded by another student on their mobile and it was posted on YouTube. This report is different from previous entries as it has used an anti-bullying counsellor, Ms Susan Berne and she tells what types of things that appeal to cyber bullies and that is the ability to be anonymous, as it is real power control thing. The other entry being a newspaper report that has used information about what the government is doing to help conquer this overwhelming problem in Australia.
With the way the media presents this ACA report it appears that they are trying to show just what is occurring on our streets and in our schools. The ACA report is more for just raising awareness and not to try and change the public's view on the matter, unlike the ad prevention YouTube clip. It becomes obvious that it is more of an awareness report and the report ends with tips for both the parents and the victims of bullying. The newspapers media's approach- from using statistics and information about what the Government is doing to help stop and preventing cyber bullying, the media presents this newspaper article in a serious light. The added effect by using statistics makes the issue feel more real and problematic.
My final entry was a podcast that was a interview of the general manager of netalert Ms Lara MacDonnell; she discusses the recent findings of the “surveys of kids and parents about on internet safety conducted by netalert Australia internet safety advisory body and their co-operative community partner ninemsn found that cyber bullying in Australia is now starting as early primary schools.” (2) This is alarming not only to teachers but to parents and other Australians, as this implies that something must be done as the feel of this podcast is that this is a serious issue, with the use of statistics you have a clearer image of just how serious cyber bullying is.. With this type of media message it makes a clear and defining statement that work needs to be done to fix this fast emerging problem.
Overall my entries show different aspects covering a range of issues to do with cyber bullying, from what cyber bullying is, to prevention ads and results of cyber bullying. Each entry has a different media approach, each effective in their own way. Cyber bullying is a problem that needs to be addressed, different strategies should be used to reach out to all types of people. But I believe that further investigations into this issue to find an affective way of helping to prevent cyber bullying
References
(1) From the Ad Council:"Delete Cyberbullying. www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying" (Posted on YouTube)(2) Edna- Australia's Free Online Network for Educators, Interview with general manager of Netalert Lara MacDonnell: http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/news/podcast/eli/EP8
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