Argumentative research paper - Essay Example

Another negative effect of cyberbullying is that it causes emotional damage to the victims, pushing many of them to commit suicide. The suicide rates among teenagers alone as a result of cyberbullying has increased drastically over the years. This shows how cyberbullying crimes are not confined to the virtual world, but can spread out to reality. Finally, one of the major problems with cyberbullying is that the bullies do not recognize that cyberbullying is wrong, unaware of the seriousness due to a lack of face-to-face interaction.

Since people do not recognize the dangers of cyberbullying, many people have become bullies simply because they know they won’t get caught. However, some people believe that cyberworld is just virtual reality, and that cyberbullying does not affect reality. This attitude makes it difficult to put an end to cyberbullying, which can bring crime to the real world. As such, cyberbullying should be treated seriously and be punishable by law. One of the most common forms of cyberbullying is an invasion of privacy, which is more commonly known as identity theft.

When bullies on the Internet obtain the social security and credit card numbers of their victims, they use this information to purchase expensive items that the bullies get to enjoy but the victims have to pay for (Stickley 147). As a result of identity theft, the victims not only lose money, but their credit is damaged, making it hard for the victim to make purchases for themselves in the future. Since identity theft is a tough crime to solve, many of the bullies get away with their misdeeds.

Invasion of privacy reveals how cyberbullying is not a victimless crime, which is a concept that those who engage in cyberbullying seem unaware of. The damage being done may be accomplished by means of a computer and the Internet, but people in the real world are affected by their actions. There have also been some instances of privacy invasion in which the phone numbers and addresses obtained by these bullies were used to harass, stalk, and harm the victims in the real world (Bocij 76). When this happens, not only is the life of the victim placed in danger, but so are the lives of their friends and family.

Cyberbullying that takes place over the Internet is a horrifying experience, the terror of which is intensified due to the anonymity of the bully. Not being able to see the face of one’s enemy, not knowing who is victimizing them, can be nerve-wrecking but there is little fear that something will occur beyond the Internet. However, when this danger seeps into the real world and the cyberbullies have access to their victims outside of the Internet, the horror becomes more pronounced, and the victims risk losing more than just money or their credit score, but their lives.

Cyberbullying is also not limited to monetary and potentially physical damage, but to emotional damage as well. As further proof that cyberbullying is indeed a victim-centered crime, the individuals who find themselves on the receiving end of attacks of cyberbullying risk severe emotional distress. When the bullying is taken too far, many victims feel that they cannot handle the abuse, even