Bullying has changed due to technology and now occurs through social media. Cyberbullying is defined as using electronic communication like social media to bully others. Social media is a common place for cyberbullying through negative comments, abusive posts, or unflattering pictures. Studies show high amounts of bullying on sites like Facebook and Snapchat. Cyberbullying is hard to escape from and allows bullying from anonymous people. Parents should monitor children's social media use and teach them to block or report bullies. Signs of being cyberbullied include withdrawing from others and losing interest in activities. Cyberbullying relates to symbolic interactionism theory as identities and behaviors are shaped through social interactions online.

1. THE LINK BETWEEN SOCIAL
MEDIA & BULLYING
Ashlynn Hederson

2. BULLYING ISN’T ANYTHING NEW, BUT IT
HAS CHANGED DRASTICALLY OVER THE
YEARS DUE TO TECHNOLOGY
• It is happening in more places than ever before
• Before technology, most bullying occurred at school, or in a child’s own
neighbourhood
• Today, with the increased use of the internet and social media, children are now
being bullied in any location, at any given time

3. CYBERBULLYING CAN BE DEFINED
AS…
“The use of electronic communication to bully a person,
typically by sending messages of an intimidating or
threatening nature” –Oxford Dictionary

4. WHAT DOES CYBERBULLYING
CONSIST OF
• Social media is the most common type of website used by children/teenagers
• Bullying on social media can include:
◾Posting negative comments on pictures
◾Posting abusive posts on a user’s wall
◾Using pictures or videos to make fun of another user

5. FACTS
• According to a report done by the Washington Post, 9 out of 10 teenage Facebook
users have reported they have witnessed bullying on this social media site
• A report by Ditch the Label also showed that 54% of those surveyed claimed to
experience bullying on this same social media site

6. FACTS CONT’D…
• Twitter doesn’t seem to have as much bullying due to the layout and functionality
• Ask.fm & SnapChat however seem to have a higher bullying rate

7. WHY DOES SOCIAL MEDIA LEAD TO
CYBERBULLYING?
• Hiding behind a computer or phone screen can give users a power they didn’t have
before
• When children or teenagers aren’t talking to
someone face-to-face, they are less likely to
feel the consequences of what they are
really saying
• It is too easy to say something you wouldn’t say to someone if they were standing
right in front of you

8. WHY IS CYBERBULLYING ON SOCIAL
MEDIA SUCH A GROWING EPIDEMIC?
• It is a constant in the lives of teenagers now-a-days
• In this day, you would find almost every teenager walking around with some sort of
mobile device
• This constant connection to the world through electronic social media creates the
platform for constant bullying

9. …
• Victims of cyberbullying have no place to go to get away from the harassment they
are receiving
• When constantly connected to the internet, it can be very difficult to get away from
social media
• When someone is being bullied in person, they can often remove themselves from
the situation, however being bullied through social media is much different

10. …
• Social Media has a much larger reach, allowing people from all over to band
together, allowing others to gang up on one specific person
• Simply “turning off the phone or computer” is not always a solution to this problem
and most young people do not have the strength when faced with this issue

11. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT
BULLYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
• It is important for parents to be involved and to be aware of what is going on with their
child’s social media
• It is also very important for parents to check privacy settings, and ensure they are set
properly
• In addition to these, some other tips to help prevent cyber bullying are:
• Unfriend anyone who posts negative or harassing posts
• Block anyone who continues to send messages after being “unfriended”
• Report the individual to the social media site

12. …
• Avoid responding to messages from a bully
• Let an adult know what is happening
• Keep records of the behavior for proof, if needed
• Some cases of bullying through social media also often have to be resolved through
local police departments if necessary

13. IDENTIFYING THE SIGNS OF SOCIAL
MEDIA BULLYING
• Most cyberbullying victims show clear signs that they have been victimized. These
signs may include:
• Withdrawing from family and friends
• Losing interest in activities they were once
passionate about
• Wanting to self-harm or are visibly upset/angry
• Sleeping more
• A lack of appetite

14. VIDEO
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwB6NIgXKN4

15. SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
• I have related the issue of Cyberbullying & Social Media to the Symbolic
Interactionism Theory
• Bullying through Social Media is an obvious Social Problem of Well-Being
• Bullying through Social Media relates to the Sociological Theory because it focuses
on the dynamics of individuals reacting in groups
• It emphasizes that human behaviour is influenced by definitions and meanings that
are created through symbolic interaction with others.

16. SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY CONT’D…
• Children or teenagers may choose to bully others through social media because it is
what everyone else is doing
• Social Interactionism suggests that our identity is shaped by social interaction, that
we develop our self-concept by observing how others interact with us and/or label
us
• This can then be related to bullying through social media because young people are
very impressionable and if everyone else is bullying online, it may seem like that is
just what people do; their identity of a “bully” has then been shaped by society

17. SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY CONT’D
• Social problems develop in stages:
• First, social problems pass through the stage of recognition; bullying through social
media has been recognized
• Second, the social problem receives recognition from a larger community; bullying
through social media has definitely been recognized through media, schools, etc..
• Last, the social problem calls for action, which occurs when individuals form
organizations, and become more concerned; bullying through social media has
become a concern of the government and in some places has even resulted in laws
against cyberbullying

18. IN CONCLUSION
• In conclusion, I believe that the issue of Bullying through Social Media relates most
to the Symbolic Interactionism Theory of Social Problems.

19. REFERENCES
Abdillah, Sam. (October, 2014). YouTube. Social Media, Cyberbullying. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwB6NIgXKN4
Cyber Bully Radar. (May, 2014). No Bullying. Social Media Bullying has become a serious problem.
Retrieved from http://nobullying.com/social-media-bullying-has-become-a-serious-problem/
Cyber Bully Radar. (December, 2014). No Bullying. Cyber Bullying Statistics. Retrieved from
http://nobullying.com/cyber-bullying-statistics/
Kang, Cecilia. (November, 2011) The Washington Post. Nine of 10 teenagers have witnessed bullying on
social networks, study finds. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/nine-of-
10-teenagers-have-witnessed- bullying-on-social-networks-study-
finds/2011/11/08/gIQAPqUq3M_story.html
Oxford Dictionary. (2015) Definition. Cyberbullying. Retrieved from
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/cyberbullying