Mediaboss Marketing

by Carina Cruz Posted on 10/02/2013 12:22 PM |Updated 10/02/2013 5:29 PM

GOOD OR BAD? Social media can build or destroy depending on how you use it. Graphic by Jay Javier/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines - October 2 is the International Day of Non-Violence. Since the advent of social interaction on the Internet, we've seen that a lot of today's violence is done online.

We live in a world centered on and dominated by social media, where one post can easily be crafted, seen and shared by millions of users. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other highly popular social networking websites have created a new generation of technologically savvy users who now have the power to voice out their opinions and advocacies, influencing the perception of others in the process.

People who speak different languages can now belong to one community and cross boundaries, interact and share valuable pieces of information with one another. Social media unifies. Social media engages.

But it is also one of if not the most those influential tools that can also cause blunders. Social media, given the power it gives to anyone with a smart phone, laptop or tablet, is sometimes used to abuse and violate others.

Oddly enough, this harmful though rampant practice seems to be deemed normal by most users.

Blackmail, sexual harassment, humiliation

Greg* is a high school student who uses Facebook to get updated with his daily homework and to socialize with his friends through chat. One day, he was conversing with his friend Ana* about his problems when he noticed something different about how Ana was composing her messages, only to find out that Ana's account had been hacked by Gregs other friend, Matt.*

Shortly after he revealed himself, Matt started mocking Greg, his problems and how they were being handled. Matt then sent a message to Greg saying, For every report you [file], I will tell everybody your secrets that are here in this account. I will take a screen shot of all these things you said to Ana and post it on Facebook. After Greg reported the incident to his teacher and after further investigation, the blackmailing stopped.

Read the original post:
Is cyber bullying normal in the age of social media?