Cyberbullying is a kind of bullying occurring primarily in digital spaces with the use of digital tools. The most common places where this occurs are gaming lobbies, chat forums, and social media platforms.
Cyberbullying has many variations. It can range from posting harmful, false content about a person to revealing sensitive information about them to the public.
Common cyberbullying platforms
- Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
- Online chat forums
- Instant messaging
- Online game lobbies
Examples of cyberbullying
- Harassment: This can come in the form of text messages, online posts, comments, and threatening emails. The attacker sends them to the victim to shame or cause them distress.
- Impersonation: Here, the attacker creates a profile pretending to be the victim and uploads humiliating content as if it were from the victim. This can be done by hacking and using the actual account or gathering enough info to create a catfish account.
- Degrading: The attacker in this scenario can take degrading photos or videos of the victim against their will and proceed to share them online. It can also take the form of physically forcing them into taking embarrassing photos of themselves to post as well.
