Cyberbullying (Blog #7)

     Sorting through the cyberbullying research this week was interesting because of the large scope of the topic. There are so many different facets and nuances. One of the big things that stood out to me was how young it may start. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me because we all know bullying can start at a young age. It was always shocking to hear the amount of suicide threat protocols they had to perform for elementary kids in our district each year. The fact that kids are already adept enough to do it in the digital space so effectively though is upsetting.   

    The introduction to cyberbullying lesson plan (Swain, n.d.) is recommended for kids who are in third grade. I think the most important aspect of this lesson plan is the involvement of the school counselor. I heard the word “bullying” thrown around a lot working in an elementary school and in many cases, it was inaccurate to the situation. It is imperative that students truly understand the terminology and what it entails. Having concrete examples and acknowledging that it may look different depending on the medium is helpful. I like the thoroughness of this lesson plan.  

    I was surprised by several things in the article comparing bullying situations from K-12 education, higher education and the workplace (Faucher et al., 2015). One is that “traditional” bullying is much more widespread than cyberbullying. Media consumption, technology use and social media use have only continued to increase since this paper came out, so I would be interested to see if those numbers are different now. I also am curious about the various perceptions and definitions people may have of the term “cyberbullying.” Would the numbers change if the definition was the same? Some actions may fall under the umbrella that people were not aware of. Some people are also reluctant to call themselves a “bully,” to be sure.  

    I think it’s important that Faucher et al. (2015) pointed out the fallacy of bullying being a problem in youth. I would argue that I have seen (and heard of) many more instances of bullying and harassment as an adult than I ever did as a kid or teenager. Between social media, comment sections, and inflammatory websites, there is a plethora of hate to choose from. I dare say people are more emboldened, being able to hide behind a device. I don’t think the consequences are thought of as clearly as face-to-face instances. This is showcased in one of the stories from the “Wrath” section of the Seven Digital Deadly Sins (National Film Board of Canada, 2014). The situation spiraled out of control before the author even realized what was happening.  

    As someone who wants to work in an elementary school, I think a focus on digital citizenship will be my primary aim in addressing cyberbullying. The Common Sense Education Digital Citizenship curriculum (Common Sense Media, 2020) seems approachable and user friendly. Some of the videos that stood out to me from the Cyberbullying Research Center (CRC) website (https://cyberbullying.org/)  were connected to this curriculum. The video from Meadowbrook School showcasing the “Pause and Think Online” song would be great for Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd grade. The “A Day in Tweens’ Digital Lives” video would be effective for 3rd through 5th graders. I appreciate that the CRC website also has questions after each video to facilitate discussion.  

    While on this website, I came across an article about the effects of empathy on cyberbullying (Hinduja, 2022). The main takeaway was that those who have high cognitive empathy (understanding others’ feelings) are significantly less likely to cyberbully. This leads me to conclude that cultivating empathy and giving children windows into others’ lives is of continued importance.  

    There is a plethora of research about the fact that reading fiction increases empathy (Schmidt, 2020). As a librarian, intentionally picking those stories will be part of my mission. Using other mediums for perspective taking is also helpful to reach all children.  The short film Joy and Heron (Kyra & Constantin, 2018) is a great visualization of being able to think about what others are going through. Having older children listen to and analyze the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s song “Mean” (2010) would also be effective. I’m sure there are many others out there as well!  

Do you have a favorite book, video or song for emphasizing empathy? I’d love to hear about it!  

 

 

References 

Common Sense Media. (2020). Digital citizenship curriculum overview.  https://www.commonsense.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2020-09/2020-digitalcitizenshipcurriculum-overview-final-release.pdf  

Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox:     Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in K-12, higher education,     and the workplace. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.     http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v3i6.1033  

Hinduja, S. (2022, July 13). Can empathy reduce cyberbullying based on race or religion? Cyberbullying Research Center. https://cyberbullying.org/empathy-bullying-race-religion  

Kyra & Constantin. (Director). (2018). Joy and Heron [Film]. Passion Pictures Melbourne.  

National Film Board of Canada. (2014). Seven digital deadly sins. http://sins.nfb.ca/#/Grid  

Schmidt, M. (2020, August 28). How reading fiction increases empathy and encourages understanding. Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/how-reading-fiction-increases-empathy-and-encourages-understanding  

Swain, J. (n.d). Introduction to cyberbullying. American Library Association.  

Swift, T. (2010). Mean [Song]. On Speak Now. Big Machine Records.