Multi-Modal Advocacy Campaign: Cyberbullying

Cyber bullying, is form of bullying or harassment using electronic forms of contact which

has been on the rise in the last century due to the influx of technological influences. Preventative

steps has been taken to put a halt to cyber bullying, however some of these steps aren’t

functional. We are communicating to advocate for the recreation or revision to companies bullying

and harassment policies on social media. By implementing a recreation or amendment of

company policies for cyber bullying and harassment in order to combat cyber bullying, would

not only add to the conversation but it will also help diminish some of the actions online.

Our campaigns primary audience are the owners of the social media platforms we are

examining. Companies such as Jodel and Facebook have specific values that condemns cyber

bullying. We will appeal to each company by applauding them for the policies that already have

in place, but we will recommend that they’re revised and edited so that their terms and

conditions are more specific to its audience.

Often times, online we see many citizens partaking in some form of bullying or

harassment. Although this may go against company policies, the rules are broken, and there is no

one left to police those who are wrong. We are communicating to advocate for the recreation or

revision to companies bullying and harassment policies on social media. When these terms are

violated there will be some type of disciplinary action taken. This can include, but is not limited

to, removal of comment or comments, temporary suspension from site, or termination of

account.

By addressing this issue we can add to the current conversations on cyber bullying.

Possible responses would come from the head of each company. Those in charge of legislating

rules and conditions would be ideal to respond. The worse outcome would be a company

denying hearing our stance on the topic. Other responses would stem from our secondary

audience, the platforms users. Those that are directly affected by the newly revised policies

would be upset that action has been taken against them. We would appeal to them by reminding

them that they agreed to these terms prior to making an account. Those that have accounts

already in place will reconfirm their agreement when the update is in place. Our secondary

audience will also encounter our campaign when scrolling through these social media platforms.

We plan to have advertisements that campaign against cyberbullying at least once a week.

The purpose of this campaign is to inform our audience. Many of our audience members

are already educated on the topic, we are asking them to take a different approach to situation.

We will compromise with our audience by not completely removing the courses of action they

may already have in place but redefining them. This is a general issue but one that can be related

to the public. Some of our supporters include, but is not limited to: those that have been cyber

bullied, parents of children who have been cyberbullied, and companies who have dealt with

matters similar before. Our responsibilities are too those that have experienced cyber bullied and

want to seek change. The recent actions here at VMI on social media sites such as Facebook,

Twitter, and Jodel have all played a large role in cyber bullying cadets; specifically NCAA

athletes and minorities. If companies fully implemented their current policies much of the

inappropriate content posted would be filtered and removed.

 

Annotated Bibliography

● MILLER, KIMBERLY. “Cyberbullying and Its Consequences: How Cyberbullying Is

Contorting the Minds of Victims and Bullies Alike, and the Law’s Limited Available Redress.”

Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, vol. 26, no. 2, Spring 2017, pp. 379-404.

I. The article gives an introduction on the issue of the rise of cyberbullying in recent years

and details the impacts of cyberbullying on the minds of all those involved. The article

continues by addressing potential causes for this rise of cyberbullying. One cause being

the “lack of physical presence” required to participate in cyberbullying making it easier

for the aggressor and harder for the victim to escape the ever expanding digital world.

Real world situations are provided to make the issue touch home just a little bit more

while also making the issue more real and relatable for the reader. The article concludes

by giving a look at what little legislation has been put forward on both the federal and

state levels to help combat the issue.

II. We can use this article to assist in our argument that companies need to recreate/update

their current cyberbullying policies in an attempt to counteract cyber bullying on their

sites. The evidence of the mental effects of cyberbullying on both aggressors and victims

alike, along with the real world examples should serve as a wake-up call to those in

charge of the major social media platforms that changes need to be made in order to

ensure the well-being of their users.

● Stewart, Daniel M. and Eric J. Fritsch. “School and Law Enforcement Efforts to Combat

Cyberbullying.” Preventing School Failure, vol. 55, no. 2, Feb. 2011, pp. 79-87.

I. This article discusses the efforts being taken from School and Law enforcement in order

to stop cyberbullying and its effects on the educational environment. It introduces and

defines cyberbullying, and distinguishes it as a different form of harassment. As cyber

bullying is more of a juvenile term, it can still be threatening, demeaning, and negative

towards others. Nowhere in the penal codes does it say that cyberbullying and cyber

crimes are not tolerated. Although life threatening behaviors, and threats are actions that

one could be prosecuted for, cyberbullying specifically is excluded.

II. This article from the University of North Texas has been taken from a scholarly article

finder, EBSCOhost. Within this article, citations from similar topics have been used, and

properly cited within the article. Upon further investigation of these sources, they are

from other scholarly articles, studies,State Legislature websites, Psychological Journals,

and legal court cases, which proved to be valid, informational, and relevant on with our

topic.

III. We can use this article as a source of reference for how cyberbullying is being treated

legally, and actions being taken to spread awareness. In our campaign, we are proposing

that social media applications need to revise their policies about harassment and

cyberbullying. In order to persecute those who defy the agreed upon terms and

conditions, we must be familiar with the current laws and regulations regarding this topic.

 

Open Letter

 

Response:

Advocacy Campaign- Open Letter-28ir29j