"Cyberbully" - Movie Response

"Cyberbully" - Movie Response

               "Cyberbully" is a 2011 ABC Family-produced movie which follows the story of a 16-year-old girl named Taylor Hillridge. After receiving a brand new computer of her own for her birthday, she is entrusted with the responsibility of being safe on the Internet by her mother. This is a big milestone for Taylor as her mother is very overprotective, but deems her trustworthy. At Taylor's school, the biggest online trend is a website called Cliquesters. As soon as Taylor sets up her computer, she makes an online profile. All is well for a little while, until her account gets hacked and posts awful things about her. After the students at her school read these things, they begin attacking her and bullying her online. Soon, the situation spirals rapidly out of control and Taylor is left with no friends. After a horrendous video of her is posted to the public, she attempts to commit suicide, but is found before she can take any action. Upon being discharged from the hospital, she stands up for herself against her bullies and wins her friends' respect back.

               This movie was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. In my opinion, it was very well written and provided a very realistic glimpse into the effects that cyber bullying can have on a person. At the peak of the plot, the point in which Taylor attempted suicide, I was very shocked. Throughout the entire movie, I had not expected the circumstances to grow so severe that she would do such a thing. It displayed to me the true effects cyber bullying can and does have on people everyday. I was truly bewildered when I realized that this type of bullying really is lethal. I was also very surprised when Taylor stood up for herself and called out her former bullies. She had been reduced to something so weak due to the amount of torture she was receiving, and I thought it incredulous that she had finally gained the strength to defend herself. 

               Through this movie, I have learned a great deal about the true effects cyber bullying can have. I had not fully registered that it was the same thing as classic bullying, or even worse. I learned that it is something you cannot run or hide from, and it follows you everywhere you have an electronic device. There is no escape. I have also been informed that you should always tell an adult about any sort of bullying you are the victim of. Before I saw this fantastic movie, I was never sure of what action I would take if I were the victim of some type of bullying. After watching, I now know that I would undoubtedly speak up for myself. I see the treacherous wounds that cyber bullying can inflict when left untreated. 

               The writers of this movie made their intentions clear: they aspired to make the audience feel something. During the movie, I had very intense feelings; a mixture of sadness, pity, pride and enlightenment. There were an abundance of points in the movie where sadness was felt. Many times, Taylor would wake up and discover a large quantity of new hateful messages directed toward her. She was often left alone and isolated by the people she once thought were her friends. I felt great pity for Taylor for obvious reasons, and at some points, Taylor's mom. Despite her best efforts, she could not control the bullies and could not keep Taylor safe from the abuse she was experiencing. She was utterly powerless; I felt a great deal of pity watching her cry after Taylor's attempted suicide.

               After viewing this movie, I felt very shocked for a long time. I had been hit with the stark realization that cyber bullying can kill, and that it really is a serious issue. I was very maddened at the fact that laws are in place regarding cyber bullying in only 34 out of 50 states, when the number should be much higher. I felt very sad at the fact that people all around the world endure this cruelty everyday, and very grateful that, at present, I do not.

               By the end of the movie, I had gained a whole new perspective on cyber bullying. Before watching, I had assumed that it was easy to simply log off, block a user, delete an account. However, it is much more complicated than that. The awful messages remain in a person's mind forever, and there is always a tiny little voice in the back of the victim's head, repeating, "You're ugly", "Nobody likes you", "You're disgusting". Both my opinions and my outlook changed, and I realized that cyber bullying is a very serious matter that can be deathly.

Cyber Bullying: The Impact and Cause

Cyber Bullying: The Impact and Cause

               What do you think of when you imagine a case of bullying? Many people think of bullying as physical, face-to-face harassment, one-on-one. However, bullying is found in many different, more severe forms; one of them being cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can range from sending rude messages to a person to stealing their entire identity and persona. I find it absolutely unfathomable how a person could do such a thing, as some of the forms of cyber bullying can be very serious. No matter the form it takes, cyber bullying has a saddening, disastrous effect on the victim. This harassment can grow to a point where a victim can attempt to take their own life in an effort to end the suffering they endure online. This highlights the impact that this can have on a person. I am utterly mind blown at the fact that a person could have the audacity to do these things to others, and I am baffled at how people struggle with this torture everyday. If a person is targeted on a social medium, it becomes very personal and can follow them forever. As Carrie Brower-Breitwieser from Sanford Health puts it, "It's one of those things that kids can't escape. They can go home at three o-clock, but Facebook is there twenty-four hours a day. It's much more challenging for kids." Insults such as "You're ugly", "Nobody likes you", "Go die" and more can impact the receiver deeply and make them feel horrible about themselves. It makes me feel so forlorn to think about how I would feel if these vile phrases were being directed toward me. 

               Fifty years ago, the world was not nearly as technologically-advanced as it is today. Though this increase in technology can be a positive matter, especially for education, it is often abused by users to hurt others. This spike in electronic activity has introduced an entirely new platform of social interaction with our generation, and this interaction can include bullying. In fact, 91% of people own a cellphone of some sort in the world at present. Furthermore, over one-third of the earth's population has access to the Internet on some avenue. With this amount of usage, cyber bullying has become an extreme problem in society today, as opposed to years ago. 

Cyber Bullying: What is It?

Cyber Bullying: What is It?

               Cyber Bullying: The deliberate targeting of a person using online // electronic resources (websites, apps, instant messaging, etc.), usually to threaten or belittle another user. It is a serious form of bullying which can follow the victim on every device they use.