Bullying and Cyberbullying Essay

entranceEach day coach children learn valuable skills and lessons from their teachers as sound as by means of with(predicate) interactions with their peers. Although tutor, undoubtedly, is beneficial to Americas juvenility, there argon some experiences, such as yobing, that may negatively affect and commove with these children for the rest of their lives. Certain children find an outlet for their thwartings through boss around others. In the past, these actions could be better controlled be trend they were limited to face-to-face interactions. However, in new-made years, this age-old conflict has matched the pace of technological evolutions, making it more(prenominal) dangerous and harder to contain. booth ph unmatchables, social media sites, yap away rooms, and other forms of technology consent allowed browbeat to blast into cyberspace. This new form of abuse is kn aver as cyber intimidate. The following enquiry paper focuses on both traditional punking and cy berdeterrence. The paper provides land culture more or less intimidation, defines the worry and where it is focused, looks at the clinical and aim-headed beds that elude both forms of bully, and discusses possible obstructive courses.II. History of intimidation hector, a descriptionThe word bully bottomland be t speed upd bet on as farthermost as the 1530s. (Harper, 2008). In its most basic guts datum deterrence involves dickens lot, a bully or intimidator and a dupe. The bully abuses the victim through physical, * Keywords bullying, cyber bullying, rightfulness, statistics, preventioAbstractBullying has been engrained in American familiarity since the countrys shewing. Bred from a capitalistic economy and competitive social power structure, bullying has remained a applicable expiration through the years. Technological bullying, populaten today as cyberbullying, has allowed the problem to expand, become more snarled, and even harder to define. A thoroug h analytic thinking of various c antiophthalmic factoraign studies, statistical research, practice of law ends, and news articles was conducted to understand the issue of cyberbullying and to find preventative measures that should be understand. This paper illuminates the background situation, current healthy struggles, clinical implications, and probable preventative steps concerning bullying and cyberbullying a analogous.II. History of BullyingBullying, a definitionThe word bully can be traced back as far as the 1530s. (Harper, 2008). In its most basic sense bullying involves two people, a bully or intimidator and a victim. The bully abuses the victim through physical, * Keywords bullying, cyber bullying, law, statistics, barroom Email rdonegan 34 The Elon ledger of undergrad query in communication theory Vol. 3, No. 1 recant 2012 verbal, or other means in order to gain a sense of superiority and power. These actions may be direct (i.e. hitting, verbally assaultin g face-to-face, etc.) or confirming (i.e. rumors, gossip, etc.). Origins of bullyingThe desire to survive is instinctual and common land among all living things. survival is associated directly with competition receivable to the multitude of species and limited natural resources on the planet. Since the beginning of time there has been a constant drive to out-perform others and get the hang obstacles. This survival instinct, along with a competitive atmosphere, has remained the same as the man descriptor race has evolved. Both of these forces meet flowed over into the educational, social, and economic realms. This competitive hierarchy, though prevalent in most societies, varies crosswise cultures depending on their ethical systems, traditions, and the causa of control exerted by the government. Unfortunately, the U.S. capitalistic society inadvertently pushes the belief that triumph and wealth go hand in hand. This ideology has shaped a nation where bullying is unintentiona lly instilled as a survival tactic from a very tender age.From the time an American child enters gradation discipline, he or she is taught to be the best he or she can. This plainly innocent lesson can morph as a child develops end-to-end his or her education. Students a lot learn corrupt ways to get ahead(predicate) in the highly competitive educational and social environments that grade school presents. These bullying play may take on pressuring others for answers on assignments to attain high grades, which asks toward better college opportunities, or spreading social rumors slightly fellow students. These tactics atomic number 18 dangerous because once a student realizes their effectiveness, he or she may construct a life style from them. Developing a habitual use of bullying tactics can lead to negatively affecting a countless round of people as easily as corruption in the workplace.Traditional bullying vs. cyberbullyingTechnologys progression is much equated w ith the advancement of human societies. Pivotal innovations, such as the internet, wear forever changed how people interact. Though these developments bring on allowed the human race to make great strides in some fields, they cast off also allowed forms of sin to become more r international deoxyadenosine monophosphateereant and widespread. This is plain when con gradientring how traditional bullying has evolved into an issue today known as cyberbullying. While bullying and cyberbullying are often similar in terms of form and technique they also have mevery differences. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying allows the offender to mask his or her identicalness behind a com marker. This anonymity makes it easier for the offender to strike blows against a victim without having to see the victims physical response. The distancing effect that technological devices have on todays youth often leads them to say and do crueler things compared to what is typical in a traditiona l face-to-face bullying situation.A technological evolutionAs technology has evolved, bullying has proliferated. With the advent of the Internet, scold rooms soon followed. Online assemblys provided a communal breeding ground for youth to assault one a nonher (Subrahm any(prenominal)am & adenine Greenfield, 2008). Chat rooms were supplemented by AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), an online dialogue program that allowed teens to spend hours talking to one a nonher in private, one-on-one conversations or in exoteric chat rooms. The program further allowed youth to create group- peculiar(prenominal) chat rooms. This exclusive forum allowed for youth to get together with select groups of friends and talk about the latest gossip. Online innovations have act upd collectible to telecommunication advances. The advent of cell phones in the late 1960s and early 1970s changed the way people communicated (Shiels, 2003).However, these man-portable communication devices did non become widesprea d, or make it into a volume of youths hands, until the appearance of the second generation of digital web phones in the 1990s. After that, they spread like wildfire. fit to a necessitate conducted by the Pew question mall, 75% of 12-17 year-olds own cell phones, which increase from 45% in 2004 and one-in-lead teens sends 3,000 text messages per month (Lenhart, 2010). Though some parents commit that they are purchasing a cell phone for their child for safety-related sources, the opposite may be lawful as many youths under propose to utilizing their phones as an instrument for cyberbullying.Further progress on the Internet brought about more and more websites and with this came the advent of social media. The site MySpace is often considered the lead up of social media. MySpace allows separate users to create their own unique profiles and interact in cyberspace with friends and foes alikeBullying and Cyberbullying by Richard Donegan 35III. Status of cyberbullyingas when someone repeatedly makes fun of another person online or repeatedly picks onanother person through email or text message or when someone posts something online about another person that they dont like (Hinduja &type A Patchin, 2010c, p. 1).VictimizationAccording to their results, cyberbullying victimization rates have vary in the past a few(prenominal) years, ranging between 18.8 part in whitethorn 2007 and 28.7 part in Nov. 2009 with a mean of 27.32 percent based on 7 diametric studies from May 2007-Feb. 2010. Cyberbullying offending rates have wide-rangingin a broader spectrum than victimization rates, ranging between 20.1 percent in June 2004 and 11.5 percent in Nov. 2009 with a mean of 16.76 percent based on 7 different studies from June 2004 to February 2010 (Hinduja & adenylic acid Patchin, 2010g, p. 1).Several specific types of victimization and cyberbullying were discovered through a survey taken in 2010. The survey discovered that the highest engrossment of victimiza tions and cyberbullying offenses occurred in the following areas respectively mean or hurtful comments post online (14.3%, 8.8%), rumors online (13.3%, 6.8%), threats through a cell phone text message (8.4%, 5.4%) (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010e, p. 1).Another important factor that Hinduja and Patchin brought to light was what type of technology a teen primarily uses. According to a 2010 study, which asked teens what place technology play in their daily lives, cell phones were used the most (83%), followed by the Internet for school work (50.8%), and then Facebook (50.1%) (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010h, p. 1). This points to cell phones and the Internet as the two primary mediums used for cyberbullying. Cyberbullying proved to vary by sex activity as hygienic.Based on a 2010 study involving a random sample of 2,212 teen males and 2,162 teen females, the male to female ratio varied the most in the following three areas victimization inside a persons lifetime (16.6% for males vs. 25.1 % for females), admitted to a cyberbullying offense within a persons lifetime (17.5% for males vs. 21.3% for females), and had a hurtful comment stick on about oneself online (10.5% for males vs. 18.2% for females) (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010b, p. 1). This selective information may be biased payable to the reticence among males about admitting a past bullying experience. Nevertheless, it is interesting that females authorship a higher percentage in all categories. Bullying hierarchyAs with most competitive atmospheres, the social struggle among todays youth has an evident hierarchy. Bullying is a component of this hierarchy and has its own structure. According to Dr. Dan Olweus, there 36 The Elon ledger of Undergraduate interrogation in Communications Vol. 3, No. 1 backlash 2012 are seven different levels within the bullying ladder the students who want to bully and initiate the action, their following or henchmen, supporters or passive bullies, passive supporters or possi ble bullies, disengaged onlookers, possible defenders, and defenders who dislike the action of bullying and help those that are victimized (Olweus, 2001). rase the aggressive portion of this ladder and shifting students to a deterring mindset essential be a fundamental part of any legal community program.IV. clinical Perspective/RepercussionsAt first, one may believe that the effects of bullying is limited to sign responses that tend to fade within a few days or a week, at most. However, research indicates that the harm inflicted by bullying, whether physical or psychological, has many implications and can result in a snowball effect of lasting painful emotions and negative impacts.Gender and bullyingThough many students tend to deny the horny harm caused by bullying tactics such as numbercalling, rumor spreading, and teasing, research suggests the opposite. In a study that utilized a sample of over 3,000 students, researchers effectuate that 38 percent of bully victims felt vengeful, 37 percent were livid and 24 percent felt helpless. Furthermore, in a study conducted by the Cyberbullying question Center involving a sample size of 468 students revealed that females are typically more ablazely affected by cyberbullying than males. The females in the study account being frustrated (39.6%), angry (36%), and miserable (25.2%) more often than males who describe lower percentages in each category (27.5%, 24.3%, 17.9% respectively). This is not surprising due to the fact, as mentioned earlier, that males have a reluctance to admit weaknesses especially from an aroused standpoint. In pragmatism, one would expect males to be at least correspond if not higher in emotional response concerning anger and frustration. (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009c, p.1).Age and bullyingIn another study conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center, the emotional repercussions of cyberbullying across age groups were observed. The study discovered that anger and frustration r emain the dominant responses among senior and junior high students, just students at the mere(a) level are more likely to feel sad as a result of being bullied (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009c, p.1). This is likely because at a young age children are not battling with the same kind of competitive social hierarchy typically found within speed level schools. So, rather than feeling the need to prove themselves among their peers, students at the elementary level tend to well-up within the initial emotional responses to bullying. This points to the idea that younger children may keep their initial emotional responses to themselves rather than acting out.Unfortunately, disregarding of the initial emotional reaction to bullying, these emotions have the mightiness to continue to develop, with sincere clinical implications. A 2003 intensive survey study, which focused on the clinical effects of cyberbullying, describe an increase in emotional distress specifically related to cyberbullyi ng. The study involving 512 professionals coming from psychology, psychiatry and social work backgrounds describe that for one-third (34%) of these youth, the Internet problem played a primary role in the clients treatment (Mitchell, Finelhot & Becker-Blease, 2007, p. 48). This evidence proves that cyberbullying is having discernible clinical effects on todays youth.In his oecumenic Strain Theory, sociologist Robert Agnew hypothesized that the strain and stress exerted on an individual as a result of bullying can manifest itself in problematic emotions that lead to unnatural behavior, possibly leading to delinquency (Agnew, 2006, pp. 659-660). This theory stresses the vicious stave that many teens may go through while being victimized. The orbitual repercussions of this process are particularly solemn if it leads a victim to asocial behaviors when they try to find an outlet for their emotions. In 2001, the Office of Juvenile justice and Delinquency Prevention reported tha t 60 percent of males who were bullies in grades 6 through 9 were convicted of at least one crime as adults, compared with 23 percent who did not bully 35 to 40 percent of these former bullies had three or more convictions by the age of 24, compared with 10 percent of those who did not bully (Ericson, 2001).Offenders are likely to utilize bullying tactics as an outlet for other insecurities or problems in their lives. This usage of bullying as a coping mechanism results to the cyclical nature that the process evidently has on victims and offenders Bullying and Cyberbullying by Richard Donegan 37 alike. non only do these flawed coping mechanisms fail to resolve the emotional distress caused by bullying, they also expand the overall problem of deviant behavior. This inability for bullied victims and offenders to find adequate embossment for emotional wounds, coupled with the fact that youth are unlikely to seek relief though a mentor, explains why some youth begin to feel helple ss. Feeling bemused in emotional distress with seemingly no way for relief allows suicidal or even thoughts of violent response to creep in to a youths consciousness (Ericson, 2001).So, what does this all mean? Research confirms that both bully victims as well as offenders are emotionally harmed by the act of cyberbullying. In a fact sheet produced by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, loneliness, humiliation, and insecurity were each reported as further manifestations of the initial emotional responses to the bullying process. These feelings have the potential to cause students to fear going to school. This constant instability makes it difficult for bully victims to adjust socially and emotionally, focus on their studies, and develop in a healthy mental fashion. These responses can lead to more serious clinical implications, such as depression, which can continue to develop into even worse problems (Ericson, 2001, pp. 1-2).The extreme consequences of bull ying are suicidal thoughts or thoughts of violent revenge. According to a National Vital Statistics Report, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among youth ranging in age from 15 to 24 (Anderson & Smith, 2003). Furthermore, the U.S. segment of Health and Human Services reported substantial increases in both homicide and suicide rates among males from 2000 to 2003 (Fraizer, 2005). This statistic becomes chillingly relevant as more information is uncovered concerning the link between cyberbullying and suicidal ideation or action. According to Rigby and Slee, youth who are bullied or who bully others, are at an elevated jeopardy for suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completed suicides (Rigby & Slee, 1999, p. 119). Statistically both victims of cyberbullying as well as offenders proved to be much more likely to have attempted bullycide, the act of committing suicide due to the effects of bullying, than youth who had not been affected (High, 2007).Online earthation of pers onal information is dangerous because it allows many people to see a side of a person more often kept private in a face-to-face interaction. This vulnerability puts many teens in a position as either the victim or active offender par taking in cyberbullying actions. Another aspect of social media that can be misleading and hazardous is the ability to create alias profiles. The ability for teens to mask their identities provides them with an opportunity to say anything to another individual without the worry of any repercussions.Social media sites, such as Facebook and Google+, are prone to abuses like cyberbullying. un place blogging is another technological advancement that has fostered cyberbullying activity and fueled ethical debate. On sites, such as College ACB and Juicy Campus, which have both recently confront tightened regulations due to their verbally abusive nature, youth (typically of college age) were able to login and comment anonymously in an open forum. The forum inc luded harsh topics ranging from Most pleasant to Worst Hookup. The sites even included certain topic headings that were simply a persons name under which people could post supercilious comments. These blogging sites are illustrative of the most dramatic forms of cyberbullying thus far.V. Case virtue and LegislationAlthough all of the evidence illustrates the effects of cyberbullying on todays youth, lawmakers at both the state and national levels continue to flex with the issue. Unfortunately, it has taken a number of cases to force lawmakers to come to terms with the harsh reality of the situation and attempt to mold laws to deal with such issues. The infringement on students 1st Amendment rights is what originally sparked heated controversies concerning schools constraining what students could do or say on or off school grounds.throughout history, the unify States has been shaped by the mankinds right to freely express their opinions. Inevitably, when a case arises attempt ing to limit these rights, the plaintiffs side is often hard to argue due to such a well tradition. Without limiting constitutional rights, lawmakers must grapple with the difficult task of delimit cyberbullying, as well as determining proper sanctions for committing the act. Because of this, many cases dealing with freedom of speech on and off school grounds have worked their way up to the United States Supreme Court in the past. national law whizz of the earliest cases that dealt with this issue on a public school campus was Tinker vs. Des Moines in 1969 (Tedford & Herbeck, 2009, pp. 1-4). In this case, three high school students arrived on campus wearing black armbands, symbolically protesting the Vietnam War. The schools administration told the students that they must remove the armbands, and if they refused to do so they would be suspended. The students refused and were sent home. They took the case to court, arguing that their 1st Amendment rights had been violated by th e school. The case eventually made it to the United States Supreme Court. The court govern that any school preventing the pattern of opinion must prove that the prohibition was enforced to avoid substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others (Hinduja & Patchin, 2011, p. 2). Because the school was unable to prove either of these factors, the suspensions were considered unconstitutional and the court ruled in favor of the students. This case set the first guidelines for what forms of expression public schools could and could not limit. As time has continued and technology has progressed, this issue has expand to whether or not schools can interfere with students actions off-campus.J.S. v. Bethlehem world School (2000) involved a student who was expelled from school for creating 38 The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications Vol. 3, No. 1 Spring 2012 a page on the Internet that included threatening and derogatory comments about member s of the administration. The court ruled that the school was justified in taking action due to its ability to prove that the public information fostered an evident disruption of the school environment. In its closing statements, the U.S. Supreme Court express the following Regrettably, in this day and age where school violence is fair more commonplace, school officials are justified in taking very seriously threats against faculty and other students (Herbeck, 2010). Such schoolyard violence had reached this level at Columbine High School in 1999.Through this and more recent cases, the federal government has defined the pick outments for offcampus behavior, such as cyberbullying, to be set by the school. For a school to take action, there must be a urinate disruption to the educational process or a representation of true threat. To determine whether or not an expression is vocalization of a true threat, the court must determine whether a level-headed person in the speakers pos ition would foresee that the statement would be interpreted by those to whom the maker communicates the statement as a serious expression of intent to harm or assault (Herbeck, 2010). The idea of public schools limiting students speech off campus is highly relevant as cyberbullying becomes a more recognized problem nationally. School administrations and communities must take past cases into account as well as current legal definitions of what constitutes a disruption of the educational process or a true threat when developing an effective preventative program.State level sympathetic to speech and harassment laws at the federal level, individual states continue to wrestle with defining the problem and what legal actions to take when a violation occurs. Unfortunately, it took a number of high-profile cases, and even some suicides, to bring the issue to the attention of many states courts and legislatures. One such case revolved around an incident in Missouri during 2006. This case, fo rmally known as United States vs. Lori pull, involved Drew and her daughter creating a false MySpace account under the alias name Josh. The defendants used the account to become friends with the victim, 13-year-old Megan Meier, whom Drews daughter be school with. After becoming friends with Meier, Drew and her daughter started sending mean comments to her. Meier took these comments to heart and committed suicide.The Missouri district court determined that they could not hold Drew directly accountable for the harassment leading to Meiers death due to extraneous circumstances and lack of legal encompassment. However, due to public outcry, federal prosecutors took charge by applying the Computer Fraud and demoralise act to the case. This act is typically used to prosecute electronic theft, but in this instance was used to apply the Myspace terms of service. The terms require users to abide by a host of regulations, which required truthful and veracious registration, refraining from using information from MySpace to harass others and refraining from promoting false or misleading information (Unites states of America v. Lori Drew, 2009). Based on MySpaces terms of service, the jury found Drew guilty of one felony count for conspiracy and three misdemeanors counts for self-appointed computer use.This case caused Missouri to modify its state harassment law to encompass acts of cyberbullying like the Lori Drew case. The law now prohibits any electronic communication that knowingly frightens, intimidates, or causes emotional distress (Henderson, 2009).VI. PreventionAs cyberbullying draws more attention, a universal definition has begun to take shape within the law. Though not acknowledged across all states, a common definition in congruence with a wider recognition of the problem makes addressing the elusive issue a bit easier. The problem is that technology testament inescapably continue to advance. So, as technology progresses, local and national anti-bullying policies and laws must continue to evolve at a parallel rate. Many of the issues faced by federal and state governments concerning cyberbullying are avoidable for schools and communities at the local level through the implementation of procedures to limit the effects of cyberbullying.Recognition of the problemOne of the most notable issues that need to be addressed is recognition of the problem itself. Many people, whether parents, teachers, or even law enforcement officers, do not know what their specific state Bullying and Cyberbullying by Richard Donegan 39 laws are in regards to cyberbullying. In a formal survey of approximately 1,000 officers, over 85 percent . . . said that cyberbullying was a serious concern that warrants the response of law enforcement. 90 percent of the schools resource officers had dealt with a cyberbullying case sometimes or often. Despite this obvious concern, 25 percent of the school resource officers and over 40 percent of the traditional law enforcem ent officers did not know if their state had a law specific to cyberbullying (Patchin, 2011). These statistics are alarming considering that the number of states without some kind of bullying or harassment specific law can be counted on one hand (HI,MI,MT,SD) and the number of states with cyberbullying specific laws are increasing.Every person that deals with children (i.e. education, parenting, law enforcement, etc.) should know the bullying or harassment law specific to his or her state, the physical and emotional signs of bullying, and his or her community or school prevention plan, including how to deal with and report a problem. Along with recognizing the problem and being able to station solutions, it is live that cyberbullying be addressed in a consistent way. To effectively put a harness on the problem will require a concerted and coordinated effort a partnership if you will among our families, schools, youth organizations, and communities (Morino, 1997).If American comm unities and schools address the issue with a clear preventative program that keeps each level of prohibition on the same page, children will in turn receive a consistent message from a young age, which will presumably resonate effectively. This message should cause children to feel at ease with confronting and reporting the problem by portraying any form of bullying as unacceptable. Furthermore, this consistency across a given program will change the overall environment rather than just focusing on individual cases. According to Dorothy Espelage and Susan Swearers book Bullying in American Schools, A comprehensive program . . . is universally more powerful in reducing bullying and increasing school safety than concentrating on individual students (Espelage & Swearer, 2009).Potential SolutionsCredited with initiating the first systematic bullying research in the early 1970s, Dr. Dan Olweus is primarily known for his bullying prevention programs. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Pr ogram, enacted by Norways Ministry of educational activity, develops methods of dealing with bullying on a variety of levels including school-level components, individual-level components, classroom-level components, and community-level components. This all-encompassing structure creates a cohesive plan in which each level reinforces the next. Since its creation, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has been adopted in schools across the world. According to a series of evaluations involving 40,000 students from 42 schools over a two and a half year period, the program proved to be successful. The studies verified the programs success by reporting reductions by 20 to 70 percent in student reports of being bullied and bullying others, reductions in student reports of antisocial behavior, such as vandalism, fighting, theft, and truancy and clear improvements in the classroom social climate (Olweus, 2005, pp. 389-402).A mixed-methods research concept carried out in Nevada, in which 118 middle school principals were surveyed about cyberbullying, identified components of a successful preventative program. Of those surveyed, 66 responded and 10 agreed to go into in a one-on-one interview. From these ten, three were selected and questioned intensively about cyberbullying and preventative strategies within their school as well as about their thoughts on the issue in general. Based on the interview results, the following cardinal components were identified as essential elements to a preventative cyberbullying program the vastness of a reporting procedure curriculum integration student-centered productions through mediums such as Broadcast Journalism a focus on prevention rather than solely on punishment the importance of punishment as a part of an effective policy and keeping up with changes in technology (Wiseman, 2011).VII. ConclusionBullying is deeply engrained in American culture. Our society illustrates the pinnacle of capitalistic competition. This win-or-d ie-trying atmosphere, the competitive college acceptance process, and much of the corporate world, contribute to many of the bullying problems that we battle today. The issues of bullying and cyberbullying can only be contained in the short term and not eliminated completely due to how deep-seeded they have become in our competitive society.The clinical repercussions that bullying and cyberbullying have on todays youth present the most 40 The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications Vol. 3, No. 1 Spring 2012 troubling issue at hand. The permanent mental effects are what both the law and prevention programs are striving to eliminate. The fact that these initial emotional responses to bullying in any form have been proved to escalate to the point of suicidal thoughts and violent response is the primary reason for why this issue has become a matter of press public concern. The thought of children getting so caught up in the psychological battery of bullying that t hey commit suicide is extremely troubling, an issue that must be dealt with. Though the legislative and judicial branches at both the state and federal levels are having a difficult time adapting laws to encompass cyberbullying as technology advances, there is assurance in the fact that the issue is a pressing concern.However, it is unsettling that it takes drastic cases such as United States vs. Lori Drew to bring about a direct change in law. Ideally, laws will develop in correspondence with technology to help define the problem itself and establish fascinate judicial repercussions. As more is learned about the reasons behind bullying and the specific tactics utilized, prevention programs are becoming increasingly more effective. As discussed previously, a successful program needs to clearly identify the problem, establish recognition, and formulate consistent ways of dealing with the issue across all platforms. The biggest struggle for cyberbullying prevention in the future is m atching the prompt pace of technological innovation with effective preventative techniquesAcknowledgmentsI am thankful to Dr. Michael Frontani for his support and guidance during the writing process of this research paper. His lore and encouragement acted as the catalyst, which drove me to really dive into the subject.BibliographyAgnew, R. (2006). Pressured into crime an overview of general strain theory. New York Oxford University Press.Espelage, D., &. Swearer, S (2009). Bullying in American schools a social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention. Retrieved fromBerkeley Technology Law Journal, 24(1), 659-660. Ericson, N. U.S. section of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program. (2001). Addressing the problem of juvenile bullying (FS-200127). Retrieved from https//www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ ojjdp/fs200127.pdfFrazier, L. (2005). Homicide and suicide rates national violent death reporting system, sextette states, 2003. Retrieved from U.S. Depar tment of Health and Human Services website http//www.cdc.gov/mmwr/ preview/mmwrhtml/mm5415a1.htmHarper, D. (2008, October 10). Online etymology dictionary. Retrieved from http//www.etymonline.com/index. php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=bully&searchmode=none Henderson, A. (2009). High-tech words do hurt A modern makeover expands Missouris harassment to include electronic communications. (Masters thesis, University of Missouri)Retrieved from http//law. missouri.edu/lawreview/docs/74-2/Henderson.pdfHerbeck, D. (2010). J.S. v. Bethlehem area school district. Informally published manuscript, Department of Communication, Boston College, Boston, MA. Retrieved from https//www2.bc.edu/herbeck/cyberlaw.bethlehem.html High, B. (2007). Bullycide. Washington JBS Publishing.Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2009a). Cyberbullying a brief review of relevant legal and policy issues. Cyberbullying Research Center. Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2009b). Cyberbullying cyberbullying and suicide. C yberbullying Research Center.Bullying and Cyberbullying by Richard Donegan 41 Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2009c). Cyberbullying emotional and psychological consequences. Cyberbullying Research Center. Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010a). Bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide. Archives of felo-de-se Research, 14 (3).Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010b). Cyberbullying by gender. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved from Cyberbullying Research Center Websitehttp//www.cyberbullying.us/2010_charts/cyberbullying_gender_2010.jpg Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010c). Cyberbullying identification, prevention, and response. Cyberbullying Research Center.Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010d). Cyberbullying offending. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved from Cyberbullying Research Center Website http//www.cyberbullying.us/2010_charts/cyberbullying_offender_2010.jpg Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010e). Cyberbullying victimization. Cyberbullying Research Cente r. Retrieved from Cyberbullying Research Center Website http//www.cyberbullying.us/2010_charts/cyberbullying_victim_2010.jpg Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010f). Lifetime cyberbullying offending rates. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved from Cyberbullying Research Center Website http//www.cyberbullying.us/2010_charts/ cyberbullying_offending_meta_chart.jpgHinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010g). Lifetime cyberbullying victimization rates. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved from Cyberbullying Research Center Website http//www.cyberbullying.us/2010_charts/ cyberbullying_victimization_meta_chart.jpgHinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010h). Teens use of technology. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved from Cyberbullying Research Center Website http//www.cyberbullying.us/2010_charts/teen_tech_ use_2010.jpgHinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2011). Cyberbullying A review of the legal issues facing educators. Preventing School Failure Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 55(2), 71-78. Lenhart, A. (2010). Teens, cell phones, and texting. Pew Internet & American Life Project, Retrieved from http//pewresearch.org/pubs/1572/teens-cell-phones-text-messages Mario, M. (1997, March). tinge of technology on youth in the 21st century. Paper presented at The Childrens Defense Fund Impact of technology on youth ofthe 21st century. Retrieved from http//www. morino.org/pdf/cdf.pdfMitchell, K., Finkelhor, D., & Becker-Blease, K. (2007). Linking youth Internet and conventional problems findings from a clinical perspective. Crimes Against Children Research, 15(2), 39-58. Olweus, D. (2005). A useful evaluation design and effects of the Olweus bullying prevention program. Psychology, Crime & Law, 389-402. Olweus, D. (2001). Peer harassment a critical compend and some important issues. (pp. 3-20). New York Guilford Publications. Retrieved from http//www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page Patchin, J. (2011, September 28). Law enforcement perspectives on cyberbullying Web log message. Retrieved from http//cyberbullying.us/blog/law-enforcement-perspectives-on-cyberbullying.html Rigby, K., & Slee, P. T. (1999). Suicidal ideation among adolescent school children, interest in bully-victim problems, and perceived social support. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 29(2), 119-130. Shiels, M. (2003, April 21). A chat with the man behind mobiles. BBC News. Retrieved from http//news.bbc. co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2963619.stmSubrahmanyam, K., & Greenfield, P. (2008). Online communication and adolescent relationships. The Future of Children, 18(1), Retrieved from http//140.234.17.98080/EPSessionID=e8bdf326b7d3eefecf6df508 ffd832a/EPHost=muse.jhu.edu/EPPath/journals/future_of_children/v018/18.1.subrahmanyam.pdf42 The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications Vol. 3, No. 1 Spring 2012 Tedford, T., & Herbeck, D. (2009). Freedom of speech in the United States. (6 ed.). State College, PA Strata Publishing Inc.United State s Justice System, United States District Court Central District of California. (2009). Unites states of America v. Lori Drew. Retrieved from website http//online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/08 02809drewconvictionrev.pdfWiseman, B. (2011). Cyberbullying in schools A research study on school policies and procedures. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from EBSCOhost.