Background:
Today, with the advancement of technology, the Internet has become an indispensable part of modern people. Social, digital platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok provide people with convenient and high-quality entertainment and social platform. However, this has also led to problems, such as cyber bullying, pornography, and other problematic content spreading on digital platforms, which has become a complex social issue, as described by Gillespie: social media platforms represent the rise of the Internet, through which the founders wanted to provide the best aspects of the Internet, but at the same time there are dangers, such as pornography, violence is becoming more and more visible. (Gillespie, 2018). This article will look at the issue of cyber bullying and discuss who should be responsible for stopping the spread of such lousy content and how to stop it.
Cyber bullying, why it arises:
Cyber bullying refers to bullying that occurs through online platforms, including posting and sending harmful, negative, or false content that causes humiliation to others. (Stop bullying, 2021). According to the survey, 37% of young people aged 12 to 17 have suffered or experienced cyber bullying. (Patchin, 2019). Moreover, social media is the most common platform for cyber bullying worldwide. (Sainju et al., 2021). It is clear that cyber bullying has become a severe social problem that profoundly impacts people’s mental health, but why is it emerging and so rampant?
“How one tweet can ruin your life | Jon Ronson.” By TED. All Rights Reserved. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAIP6fI0NAI
According to Peterson and Densley’s research, the anonymity and consistency of online platforms are the root cause of cyber bullying, in that many of the social networking sites do not force users to provide their personal information upon registration so that social media can unfold through anonymous forms, and this level of anonymity and the lack of associated accountability encourages unfettered commentary. (Peterson and Densley, 2017). In addition, herding is a significant cause of cyber bullying, with social networking sites expanding people’s networks and giving them access to a broader range of group norms in online platforms that can change one’s behavior. (Peterson and Densley, 2017). Thus, social networking sites may extend online aggressiveness while contributing to cyber bullying on online platforms. (Peterson and Densley, 2017).
So, who should be responsible for stopping the spread of this content? How can this be done?
Government and Platform:
The governance and regulation of platforms can effectively stop the spread of bad information on the Internet, such as the ‘Restrict’ feature on Instagram, which allows users to set up restricted people so that comments made by restricted accounts are not displayed publicly, and users can choose to delete them at any time. (Instagram official, 2019). Alternatively, China has launched a feature on social media platforms such as TikTok or Weibo (China’s Facebook) that displays the IP address of the user’s province and country after each user posts a comment. This practice is based on censorship of content while guaranteeing the freedom of the Internet, as the IP address does not reveal the exact IP address of the user, only the province and country where the user is located and does not show the IP address for users who do not post comments, so this practice does not violate the right to privacy. (OCTO plus, 2022). Therefore, the platform’s censorship mechanism for the Internet can effectively protect the rights of users and effectively reduce the presence of inappropriate and unethical information on the Internet. As Coleman says, internet censorship is not only about protecting the rights of citizens but also about guiding national ethics and values. (Coleman, 2010).
Nevertheless, there should be a balance in the regulation of the Internet by the platforms. Excessive regulation will inevitably result in the loss of online freedom for the users. Hence, as Gillespie says, provide data sources, ensure transparency of events, and intervene pretty in the name of law, culture, and ethics to create a balanced regulatory system. (Gillespie, 2018).
For the government, there should be bills related to the situation of bad information online, such as the Australian government’s online safety bill in 2021, which expands the cyber bullying scheme on the basis of retaining specific provisions in the 2015 “Enhancing Online Safety,” so as to capture the harm on the network. (Parliament of Australia, 2021). The enactment of the Internet Safety Act will enable users to recognize that the Internet is not out of the law so that they can lawfully regulate their own behavior, protect the country’s mainstream morals and values, and effectively reduce the spread of bad information on the Internet.
According to the research of Melovć et al., social marketing not only improves people’s awareness of cyber bullying and its consequences but also plays an essential role in sanctioning cyber bullying. (Melovć et al, 2020). Therefore, social marketing requires governments to work with platforms to implement social marketing about opposing bad information online to attract attention and spread awareness of relevant social issues through creativity and emotion. For example, Instagram partnered with the National Bullying Prevention Center during National Bullying Prevention Month to bring to life poster ideas developed during bullying prevention workshops and distributed posters to thousands of schools and community centers across the United States to support initiatives against cyber bullying around the world. (Instagram official, 2019). Social marketing can help the public to develop an awareness of healthy and sensible internet use. Furthermore, raising awareness of the dangers of cyber bullying and the adverse effects it can have.
Users:
As subjects of the Internet, users also have an obligation to maintain online health, as stated by UNICEF: we need to think carefully about what we share or say that may harm others. (UNICEF, 2022). As the information on the Internet is complex and fragmented, users should think when browsing information, fully consider the source’s reliability, consider the consequences when commenting and make rational comments. Furthermore, users cannot sit back and do nothing about situations that already exist online such as cyber bullying, which 60% of young people have witnessed. However, most choose not to intervene, according to a report by the Children’s Society in 2019. (Children’s society, 2019). As stated by UNICEF: In order to stop cyber bullying, it is critical to identify and report it. (UNICEF, 2022). For negative online information such as cyber bullying, users should collect evidence, such as social media screenshots, and submit it to the relevant authorities for reporting. Finally, users should be well informed and learn and apply knowledge related to cyber security, which can effectively reduce the spread of bad information on the Internet. Users are, therefore, not only users of the Internet but also an essential part of maintaining the health and safety of the network.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, as an indispensable part of modern life, the Internet brings convenience, and at the same time, there is the problem of spreading undesirable information. This kind of problem not only damages personal interests but may even threaten social stability. The Internet is not a place outside the law. It is dangerous to ignore this kind of problem. Therefore, the government, platform, and users must check each other, cooperate with each other, and jointly resist lousy behavior. The dissemination of information to create a safe and healthy network environment.
Reference:
Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media. Yale University Press.
Dhungana Sainju, K., Mishra, N., Kuffour, A., & Young, L. (2021). Bullying discourse on Twitter: An examination of bully-related tweets using supervised machine learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 120, 106735–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106735
Melović, B., Stojanović, A. J., Backović, T., Dudić, B., & Kovačičová, Z. (2020). Research of Attitudes toward Online Violence—Significance of Online Media and Social Marketing in the Function of Violence Prevention and Behavior Evaluation. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 12(24), 10609–. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410609
Peterson, J., & Densley, J. (2017). Cyber violence: What do we know and where do we go from here? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 34, 193–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2017.01.012
Instagram. (2019, October 2). Using Restrict on Instagram to Stand up to Bullying. Instagram. https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/stand-up-against-bullying-with-restrict
UNICEF. (2022, February). Cyber bullying: What is it and how to stop it. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying
TED. (2015, July 20). How one tweet can ruin your life. Jon Ronson – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAIP6fI0NAI
