"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.