How to manage CyberBullying

Cyberbullying. We live in a time where we spend lots of our time online. Where Cyberbullying lurks in every corner. Whether it's for pleasure, study or business. Younger people spend even more time online as it has become the new way of living.

This lifestyle and activity has created an anonymous space where bullies can flourish. They lurk in the darkness of the web causing havoc on their prey. 

We have come to think that only Children are cyberbullied online when in fact that's not the case.

Yes, children are bullied, not only online, but in life as well. The bully in the classroom, in the school, on the road, and in cyberspace is a way of life for them. They have learned the craft of bullying in their own development years, where they used this skill to get what they wanted and to deflect their own insecurity by hurting others. 

But adults and businesses are also being cyberbullied every single day. But we just don't like to talk about that. In Cyberspace the bully is faceless. These new predators are called armchair warriors or Keyboard warriors, as it is so comfortable to vomit abuse at others, criticise others for their efforts or just be downright nasty to satisfy the narcissist personality. This is faceless, anonymous, and cowardly because ALL bullies are in fact cowards. 

This style of bullying occurs in young and old as mentioned above and across diverse media. The cyberbully sits behind their computer and launches abuse, bullying comments, demands and writing unfounded comments and reviews against businesses across an entire array of social media for their pleasure.

Ways to Protect yourself from the CyberBullying

Do Not React To CyberBullying

When it comes to someone gaining pleasure out of the cyberbullying of others, the reaction is their fuel, no matter how damning or hurtful the comments are - DONT REACT - DONT ENGAGE.

When a person decides to share their opinion online that is designed to invoke a response by being deliberately hurtful to others, in many cases, this person is seeking validation or justification. Or indeed seeking total outrage to fuel their narcissistic personality. 

There is always an underlying reason for this. The cyberbully may feel unloved themselves, feel insignificant, unwanted, afraid or just angry with how their life has unfolded. The cyberbully uses words as a weapon to deflect their insecurities, fears, and insignificance.  

If you don’t react, they are lost. Their power is diminished. When they feel that nobody is listening to them, or they feel they are nobody, their narcissist personality will go into overdrive, like a baby throwing his rattler out of the pram. But all babies learn, If I throw my rattler out of the pram, I may not get it back and therefore learn to curb their tantrums.

However, the bigger issue is that cyberbullying online becomes infectious, inciting other cyberbullies to join in the rhetoric, resulting in the bullied being terrified and often suicidal.

It is the strange psychology of humans, that when some people see others being put down, hurt, abused or bullied they have a yearning desire to join in, it is like opening a gateway for closet bullies to come out of the closet. The cyberbully invokes other bullies who follow the conversation and in turn further fuels the fire. The bully now is getting all the attention they want. 

So, again, don’t react. Whether the words are directly aimed at you, aimed at your contacts or just appear in your online feed about unknown people or businesses; DONT REACT

Report Cyber Bullies

If you cannot sit by and watch as someone is bullied online, there are other ways to combat the cyberbully without reacting.

The majority of online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter have terms and conditions of use that are strongly against any form of cyberbullying. However, I caution you, that these corporate giants don't seem to care and you must work hard to stop a bully, especially on Facebook. 

However, familiarise yourself with the terms and then use the official reporting path to make sure that the moderators of these platforms are aware of the type of cyberbullying that may be occurring on their platforms.

It will not completely stop cyberbullying, however, it will make it more difficult for the bully to succeed. Remember. Bullies are cowards, they live in fear of being exposed for who they really are. 

Cyberbullying - Talk to Someone

When you are feeling weak and vulnerable, the bully grows stronger and more bullying occurs. If you feel threatened or hurt by the comments written by a cyber-bully online; talk to someone. Chat to your parents, talk to your sisters, brothers, friends or other family members. Talk to your boss or school teacher. You can even TALK TO ME.

If you are one of those people that needs to join in - You too are a bully, don't ever think you are not. 

Words carry power, not only the word itself, but the energy behind the word. That cruel comment that you type on your keyboard, hidden away from the world, without a second thought, can destroy someone's life, your words are weapons so be careful how you use them.

WORDS ARE ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS and WEAPONS WE HAVE.

-David Ellis