Cyberbullying

The Cyberbully

In the age of connectivity, more people are talking to individuals they never would have had access to before. Unfortunately, the mask of screens has a way of disconnecting one from the others they talk to. The username is no longer connected to an individual and words seem far less harsh. Dehumanization and lack of context is an extremely volatile combination. Because of this, in our age of connectivity many people, especially those in their youth, have fallen victim to cyberbullying.

On Michigan...

I took a few minutes to scan over some articles about Michigan's cyberbullying law. As much as I want to say that a felony seems like a bit much, a quick peek at some of Michigan's other laws makes this seem about on par for their law standards. They have a law that if you swear in public you can be fined up to $900 and/or spend 90 days in prison. So, in that light, I'd say $500 and/or 93 days max actually seems a bit light. Seriously, swearing is more punishable than online harassment? Dang...
That said, I hope the punishment isn't as severe for younger individuals. Sometimes kids say stupid things they don't mean and with this law, it could land them in prison where they'll miss out on important stuff like school.

On Underage Cyberbullying...

I think any drastic action outside of the school will only make the issue worse. It is already hard enough for victims to go to the teacher, counselor, or their parents for several reasons. One is the fear of repercussion. What would people think if they reported their bully? Are they weak? A snitch? A bubble blowing baby? The worst factor, however, is how some individuals image of the situation is. If the police are called into the issue, that means the situation is pretty bad. Most kids try to brush the situation off, lessen the issue even if it's wearing down on their soul.
In 6th grade, I was bullied for a year by two older kids on my bus. I tried to ignore them, but they kept following me and there were several days I came home crying. They called me names, threw sticks and rocks at me (never to any injury), and messed with my stuff. One day, at the beginning of 7th grade, I had enough and went to the counselor. I figured it was the quickest way to get them to finally stop and I didn't really know them so I didn't really care what they said about me to others. Sure enough after not seeing them for several days, they left me alone. I didn't even see them on the bus much after that.
I was lucky. My bullying stopped. Yet, it took me a year to go to the counselor because I figured they'd lose interest, it wasn't that big of a deal, blah, blah, blah. The excuses are the issue. The first problem to solve bullying issues, be they cyber or in person, should be to make the support to the victims more prevalent, easy to use, and minimize the individuals fear of repercussion. If the ease of access to help is so readily available and encouraged even for small incidents (maybe just for support rather than any disciplinary action) students might be more likely to seek help.

If it's forced down kids throats, they'll just turn away. Help them choose. Don't choose for them.

That Said...

I feel like whatever punishment is decided to be placed upon cyberbullying should reflect on harassment laws already established. It does need to be reinforced that they're essentially the same thing. You can't get away with threatening someone's life when you say it to their face, you shouldn't get away scot-free for saying it on Facebook.
I know I kinda sound like I'm flip-flopping, but I do agree something needs to be done. I just don't think it's as simple as smashing down the real-life ban-hammer and tossing kids in prison. Any law put in place to punish won't do diddly squat without helping the victims first.