It is sad to know that even after taking measures to prevent our children from being bullied by homeschooling them or e-learning, the bullies still found a way to do what they do best.
What was meant to be fun social interaction sites have turn into a breeding ground for all types of harassment.
In this article, we are going to look at all forms and the effect of social media harassment, how to handle and prevent cyber harassment, among other important topics.
What is social media harassment?
Cyberbullying is the intimidation, harm or Coercion of a person by another person using electronic means.
Social media harassment can be used interchangeably with the terms such as online abuse and cyberbullying.
Effects of social media harassment.
The advancement of technology has seen the development of more than 100 social media sites. This increase has also led to the skyrocketing number of reported cyberbullying incidents.
A majority of people who have in the past been victims of online harassment have chosen not to speak up or seek redress.
Whether reported or not, a majority of the victims have experienced the following effects;
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loss of confidence
- Suicidal thoughts
The best approach to give when you’re experiencing such psychological trauma as a result of social media harassment is two seek medical help from a psychiatrist.
I know what your problem you thinking, I cannot afford the cost of a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists undergo a lot of extensive medical training and experience and it is true that their cost might be a bit more than regular medical checkups.
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Forms of social media harassment
1. Doxing
Doxing is also referred to as outing someone. We often try to keep as private or personal information as away from the internet as possible.
When someone in possession of such private information Dixit to the internet with the intention of humiliating or embarrassing you, that is what is referred to as doxing.
They have been reported cases of people committing suicide because they cannot bear the shame or guilt of everybody knowing sensitive information about you.
2. Identity theft
Let’s face it, for most sites the only thing you need to open an account is a verified email address. It makes it easy to steal your ID.
Online identity impersonation has been on the rise and will continue to rise until the developers of social media devices better way to keep an identity Safe.
One reason why someone might want to steal your ID is to commit a crime or access some of your private information.
Some of the ways to protect your online identity are by getting your profile verified, setting up strong passwords, reporting suspicious activities to your provider, looking for encryption, and avoiding phishing scams.
Which is one of the most prevalent forms of cyberbullying today. People have taken their freedom of speech to express their personal opinion on very sensitive societal topics.
Some of the people who have fallen victims to hate speech are; homosexuals, people with different racial identities, or people who prefer different religious inclination.
3. Social media trolling
This is the term you’ve probably heard before. And somebody random or known to you from the internet deliberately provokes you online.
The many ways to deal with social media trolls; first just block them, report them to your provider or the police, or take a long legal route.
How to handle cyberbullying
1. Taking a break
sometimes social media is just draining us, taking a break get yourself together and reduce the amount of irrelevant information you bring into your life.
2. Take legal action
Cyberbullying goes beyond trolling, it may involve intellectual property theft which can only be redressed by taking legal action.
3. Do not make a comeback
Entertaining a social media troll will only worsen the situation and make the other person more aggravated.
4. Blocking
This is the simplest way to get instant relief.
5. Reporting
Finally, you may call your local police, and filing a harassment case. They will help you track the person down and bring them in for questioning.