Just some of the statistics related to cyberbullying are pretty amazing – however, this issue has been around for years before the age of social media. It seems these numbers are growing each day as the technology and platforms evolve. First there were discussion boards and websites, then it was Facebook and Twitter, and now we are seeing cases involving Instagram and Snapchat.
Melissa Agnes has a great list of resources and best practices on how to deal with cyberbullying and social media. This past week, I was invited to do an interview with WAVE3 News here in Louisville on the subject of cyberbullying. I think this is a very important issue to discuss since social media continues to evolve and change every day.
Interview w/ WAVE 3 News on cyberbullying & social media
I sat down with Scott Adkins of WAVE 3 News for the interview where I showed him various resources like Samepoint, Social Mention, and Statigram for parents to use to track hashtags, monitor usernames, and document conversations that could be considered to be inappropriate. In case you want to see the interview, here’s a Ptch of the interview I had with Scott. Thanks again to WAVE3 News for inviting me to be part of their story related to this important issue.
With cyberbullying, not only was I talking about this issue from a professional researcher/professor perspective, but I have been on the other side as well. I have experienced cyberbullying first hand as a student-athlete in track and field. My first lesson came actually when I was first starting out in track and field when I was 14 years old on a discussion board dedicated to the throwing events. What was amazing was to see who these individuals were – some were athletes, but there were coaches and parents as well who were involved.
There were many lessons I learned through this experience, which helped me become the person I am today. I had an ongoing conversation with my parents growing up on this very issue – and I think this is key for parents and children to realize today. I’ve shared my experiences not only with others, but also with my students who are taking my social media classes.
In summary, bullies are out there – one of the lessons I learned early on is that not everyone is going to like you. However, what we need to do is to know what steps to take to protect yourself and those you care about online and what tools and resources we have at our disposal to help handle the situation accordingly. Taking action proactively in this situation is key.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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