Daily Times

Sir: Cyber bullying may be a term you are familiar with. It refers to picking on someone in order to make them feel inferior, all within cyberspace. Much like real life bullying, cyberbullying has impacted a large number of individuals in recent times, as the virtual world has grown and expanded. With this rise in the usage of the online platforms like Facebook and Twitter, incidents of cyberbullying have also increased.

One of the major reasons behind the emergence and rise of cyberbullying is the issue of online anonymity. A notable number of social media forums allow the option of making oneself anonymous whilst interacting with another individual. This convenience of anonymity paves the way for behaviour that is neither healthy nor acceptable. We find an alarming number of online users hiding behind the mask of anonymity and believing they are free to behave with other users however they please.

From sending insensitive and hateful messages to sharing private content and posting baseless allegations against whosoever they wish to offend, cyberbullying manifests in all these forms and more. It is necessary to create awareness about this problematic behaviour and help people understand that having the option to present oneself as anonymous does not translate to the right to harass and bully.

We must learn to hold each other and ourselves accountable for what we say and do online, more so if it impacts others. The virtual world may not exist in the flesh, but it has nevertheless taken the form of a life lived in real-time.

And, in real life, there are real repercussions when one crosses the boundaries of conduct. Bringing those repercussions into practice upon violation of boundaries of conduct online is a step we need to take to ensure that the internet does not become a manipulative and negative platform for us.

AREEBA SYED

Karachi

Published in Daily Times, May 28^th 2018.