Harassment in social media comes
in different forms, ranging from abuse of network access, online stalking, spamming
and issuing threats. In a school setting this could be regarded as an extension
of the act of bullying which is also a growing issue on social media. The act of cyberbullying is also a part of
the online harassment and we will treat both under the same umbrella.[i]
The issue of online harassment
usually involves unsolicited request, unwanted messages and threats from a known
or an unknown stalker. In other words, the act of being followed online by a
stranger who posts unsolicited messages could be regarded as an act of harassment.
It is important to note that
online harassments are not limited to unknown people, those who are part of our
friend connections can also be involved in an act of online harassment. For
example, if a friend kept sending uncomfortable messages to you even when you
have requested that they stop, then that is harassment. This activity can be
joined by other friends or colleagues thereby leading to bullying across the
board. This could lead to threats stemming from back and forth exchange of
messages between the victim and the harassers/bullies.
Some of the ways to manage the
issue of online harassment as suggested by the
Queer Project includes:[ii]
- Ignore
the harasser/bullies
- Restrict/block
further contact with harassers
- Report
to the service provider
- Report
to the police
- Change
email account/social networking address
The Future of Friends:
With issues of privacy,
security, harassment and cyberbullying plaguing the social media, friendship
building in this media is still on the rise. However, there has never been more
concern than there is at the moment concerning these issues.
It will be left to the future
to tell what the impact of this issues will be to future friendship building on
social media paltforms.
By: Michael E.
[i]
David, M.S. (1999). Online Harassment. University Laboratory High School.
Retrieved from http://education.illinois.edu/wp/crime/harassment.htm
[ii]
Anonymous. (2012). Cyber Bullying: How to Prevent and Manage Online Harassment. The
Queer Gathering. Retrieved from http://thequeerproject.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/cyber-bullying-how-to-prevent-and-manage-online-harassment/
