A lot of people have the misconception that going offline and breaking ties with the Internet will stop the harassment that comes about cyberbullying. But that isn’t necessarily the case. For instance, if you have a bullying incident at work, you can’t tell someone to stop going to work. The same thing applies to cyberbullying. You can’t just tell someone to ignore the Internet, everything’s online. Job applications, contact with friends and family, homework, etc… they’re all online.
The idea of telling the victim to avoid being online is called victim blaming. Instead of dealing with the cyberbullies who cause the problem, we, as a society, tend to blame the victims, saying that they brought it upon themselves, that they in some way, shape, or form deserved the treatment that they received and that they need to fix their own problems on their own.
So the next time you see an incidence of cyberbullying, don’t tell the victim to log out of the Internet, and consequently, their livelihood. Instead, ask them if they need help, in many cases, the victims only need a helping hand to pick themselves up and to continue their lives.
Read more at:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/opinion/8777146/Don-t-tell-cyberbullying-victims-to-log-out-ask-if-they-need-help
