1. Investing in Youth > Braga > Portugal > 24.11.11
"Youth, episodes of
online violence:
perspectives for research"
Teresa Sofia Castro
teresa.sofia.castro@gmail.com
7. Online violence
Youth
+/- 20% reported experiencing cyberbullying
@Cyberbullying Research Center
1 in 10 teens have cyberbullied someone
online or by text message
@Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
14. Online violence
Youth
“Welcome to social cruelty, 21st century style”
in Willard, N. (2006) Flame Retardant: Cyberbullies torment their victims 24/7. Here’s how to stop the abuse, p.55.
No face-to-face interaction No one can hide
ICT skills
Unpredictable proportions
Identity management: anonymity vs. multiplicity
Deindividuation
Diversity of media
Absence of barriers: geography, time, language Inhumane
15. Online violence
Youth
W
h
a
1. Perverse, negative, hostile, deliberate and repeated behavior
t
2. Through the use of information and communication technologies
3. Affects the victim through physical, moral, psychological, emotional
and relational, economic, social ...
i
s
16. Online violence
Youth
Trends to reflect about…
Children are accessing the Internet increasingly younger
17. Online violence
Youth
Trends to reflect about…
Most of the times parents are not aware that their
children are in situations of risk
18. Online violence
Youth
Trends to reflect about…
Although there are fewer episodes of violence online
than those that occur offline, that doesn’t mean they
are still less of a concern...
19. Online violence
Youth
Trends to reflect about…
On the web everyone and everything is traceable
and can easily be used against us by ill-hearted
people
20. Online violence
Youth
Trends to reflect about…
What you share online may put you in a fragile place
of risk and insecurity. Think before you post
21. Online violence
Youth
Trends to reflect about…
What adults regard as risks (for example, meeting
strangers), children often see as opportunities (for
example, making new friends)
22. Online violence
Youth
Trends to reflect about…
Internet is not only about the risks, it is also a ladder
of opportunities, and though children will always have
to deal with online risks, this doesn’t necessarily
result in an experience of harm
24. Investing in Youth > Braga > Portugal > 24.11.11
Thank you
very much
for your attention
Teresa Sofia Castro
teresa.sofia.castro@gmail.com
Hinweis der Redaktion
Good afternoon! I would like to thank the invitation for being here today.My presentation is about Youth, episodes of online violence and issues that worry researchers. So, this presentation is about people, names and stories…But first I’m going to need your help. I’m going to make three questions and I’m going to ask you to raise your hand if your answer to my question is an YES, ok?Let’s start then…
Do you have a mobile phone?
Do you have a personal computer?
Do you have a public profile in a SNS (social networking site)?It was easy right?! Thank you very much for your help.
As you could witnessed…nearly all of you answered with an YES to all my questions. And why is that?! That happens because:Youth embraced ICT in everyday life and Because the Internet and the communication technologies are vital means of self-expression and represent a central part of youth social lives, using it for chatting, sharing ideas, pictures, videos and so on…
But though, most young people use technology with responsibility, is also true (or a fact) that a disturbing and significant number of young people aremisusing Internet and digital technologies to bully andto harass others.
According to a study made by the Cyberbullying Research Center…nearly 20% of young people reported experiencing cyberbullying in their lifetimesAnother study made by Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children indicates that about 1 in 10 teens have cyberbullied someone online or by text message
Trust… Trust is this movie, that tells the story of a common family dealing with a darker side of Internet. Annie is a fourteen-years-old common girl. She hangs out with friends, she likes sports and like any other young girl, Annie has a mobile phone and a laptop.She uses it for talking with friends; make the schoolwork research; listening to music… But, she also uses it for talking with a boy… she met online…One day, they finally arrange to meet. After months of online communication with this first boyfriend, Annie discovers that that boy is not who he REALLY claimed to be…Well, lets see the trailer, before we continue…
I chose this movie because Annie suffers several kinds of violence in the story… the repeated emotional rejection of the man that abused her; the rejection by the peers;the consequences in the family atmosphere; the signs of distrust; and the emotional stress that leads her trying to commit suicide…Unfortunately…. though we know this is fiction… it is also a very real story about online predation and its consequences…
Leslie, 12 years old…Leslie experienced cyberstalking from her 12 and 11 years old girlfriends. Her girlfriends used Leslie’s password to post sexually explicit content on her Facebook page and they sent instant messages to arrange sex meetings for the victim.This is a real life story…
Megan Meier, age 13She met a boy online. After months of courtship, the boy became aggressive with Megan…. and ended the relationship. This episode had an huge influence on her and she committed suicide. After this tragic episode, her parents discovered this story and they also discovered that that boy never existed. That boy was an invention of her neighbours a girlfriend and her motherThey decided to create that boy for funReallife stories…
Jessica, 18…Sent a nude photo to her boyfriend, after they broke up, her ex-boyfriend sent that photo to her schoolmates.She felt so miserable, depressed and even afraid to attend classes, so she committed suicide… At age 13, Hope, took her life, because she coulnd’t stand to be bullied anymore…
I could go on telling stories… other people stories… their stories… our stories….
What kind of violence is this that makes young people get so desperate to take their own lives?There is no doubt that there is a new kind of violence, a social cruelty, 21st century style.Before the Internet, children could fear most for their physical integrity, but despite all, children felt safer... Because they could hide and feel safe in the quiet of their room… but with the communication technologies… no one can hide ... In the offline world, the aggressor needs to be stronger to maintain the power and control over the victim… Online, the aggressor succeeds if he has ICT skills and masters to uncover his identity…Online, the aggressor can act anonymous or he can use several identities…this makes it difficult to identify and punish the aggressor.The several media possibilities also gives advantage to the predator…Online violence it’s a 24/7 pursuit that can happen anywhere, everywhere and anytime. Violence on the network can get dangerously intense, intensive and inhumane. Some researchers suggest that this happen, because maybe for the aggressor turns out easier to hurt someone when he does not see the hurt and harm that he’s doing…
So…In this hybrid and liquid universe of the internet, there is a very thin line between opportunity and risk…There is no doubt that new kinds of violence arise…So… what is online violence???Violence online is a perverse, negative, hostile, deliberate and repeated behavior that happens in the virtual world and represents an emotional, psychological, social, and sometimes even physical threat to the victim.
Before finishing….I would like to leave you with some trends to reflect about future challenges…Children are accessing the Internet increasingly younger…2-3 y old and giving their 1st steps online…
Most of the times, parents are not aware that theirs children are in situations of risk…Although, they think they are…
Although there are fewer episodes of violence online than those that occur offline, that doesn’t mean they are still less of a concern…
On the web everyone and everything is traceable and can easily be used against us by ill-hearted people
What you share online may put you in a fragile place of risk and insecurity. So… Think before you post!!!
What adults regard as risks (for example, meeting strangers), children often see as opportunities (for example, making new friends)They both are right!!....
Internet is not only about the risks, it is also a ladder of opportunities, and though children will always have to deal with online risks, this doesn’t necessarily result in an experience of harmSo… surfing in the internet is like taking a walk in the park it can be quite and peaceful or not… and it always has it’s bright and dark side… But you can choose which way to go, when to stop and when to ask for help…
So, finally, I leave you with this provocative question…How can all of us create a positive world online?