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Nyasha Chitavati and Tinashe Nyamushanya – Youth Interactive Writers

It is a beautiful thing that nowadays technology has allowed us to meet different people from the world.

A lot of us are making friends, finding lost relatives, marketing our businesses, and finding better opportunities. When put to good use, social media can bring the best out of us.

However, if it now leads to us fighting, competing, and bullying one another then it becomes a thorn in the flesh.

We all know that where there is a good thing, a bad thing will always find a way to creep in.

We have Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook among others.

Most of us as a youth, we are spending most of our time there.

Navigating and exploring the complex virtual world.

However, this can be a recipe for cyberbullying.

Social media addiction can allow you to be a victim of cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying can take a lot of forms.

It comes in form of personal attacks, harassment, spreading offensive information, cyberstalking, misinterpretation of other people’s business, and spreading of one’s private life.

This all comes from nowhere but only social media.

We see a lot of people complaining and crying because of social media bullying, but have we ever looked at what causes it?

Sometimes, most of it comes from us.

We create doors for it to creep into our lives by the activities we do on social media.

They are times where we often share or expose ourselves to the unknown world.

This may be due to pressure or even trying to trend and gain more followers.

We expose the inner vulnerable part of ourselves.

We allow wrong people in our lives just for the sake of making friends.

To those finding love on social media, we blindly share information that is meant for your heart only to bullies clothed in sheep’s skin trying to find sympathy.

The moment when someone sees how vulnerable you are in the moment they attack you.

It’s not bad to do certain activities on social media, but never allow yourself to open doors for the cruel world.

Not everything is supposed to be on social media.

These will be tools for those that have the purpose of destroying other people’s lives.

It’s easy to be carried away but try by all means to remove your inner self from the social media world.

See social media as a means, not a want.

Don’t allow it to be a parasite because it will be so hard to remove yourself from it.

Know your goals, know what you want, and know who you want to be. Focus on what is important. Do not tolerate everyone on social media.

Don’t share your personal life there.

Some things aren’t necessary though. When someone tries to lure you into something or an argument in public, try by all means not to react. The moment you react is the moment you create a channel for cyberbullying. Just be authentic. Youth is the time for us to be people who have a goal. A goal of becoming better people not on social media but in real life.

Being a person who always comments negative things on social media, will not only destroy other people’s lives but will destroy you too. It’s all about your image and who you will be seen by the world. Who would want a business partner like that? Just a random question. Make your intentions pure. This will allow you to attract the right people.

Harassment and trolling may not be as significant as fake profiles and cyberstalking. Without the regulation of the internet, the number of cyberbullying victims would certainly be higher. However, in addition to get rid of cyberbullying. Don’t retaliate and write a nasty post in response. Do not take the rude comments personally nor doubt your views or beliefs. Do not re-read the offending comments. Understand that not everyone has your same beliefs or views. Take a technology break. Technology doesn’t have to make us victims or perpetrators of bullying. By being mindful and considerate, we can make our online experience better.

In a summation, there is no quick fix, to this epidemic, if at all. Educators and parents can only protect the victims, if they speak up.

There is no way to eradicate cyberbullying from our society; it is engrained within  society. However, as youths we can try to bring it out from the shadows. The best way to address and prevent the issue of cyberbullying is to take the appropriate measures. Providing young people with the tools of how to be respectful and the consequences of cyberbullying will dissuade them from engaging or continuing these behaviors in adulthood.

Educators and parents must be willing to take a stronger stand against this form of harassment and challenge the idea that bullying of any kind is “a normal part of growing up.”

We have reached the point where we can no longer claim unfamiliarity with technology. We must be willing to embrace electronic communication to gain a better understanding of the issue. Computer and electronic competence are the most effective tools in combating cyberbullying.