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| source:adigaskell.org |
Bullying has always been an issue that is extremely
difficult to address despite the government’s continued reinforcement of the
Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 and the growing support from different organization
to put a stop on it and continued encouragement of law firms for people to
legally address cyber criminality. And with the rise of the internet age arise
a new brand of bullying—cyber bullying.
It is undeniable how the internet has revolutionized
Filipino’s way of living. Steadily walking away from being a couch
potato—mobile phones, tablets, and computers have slowly replaced televisions
as sources of entertainment in the lives of Filipinos. Communicating with your
love ones from distant places has also been made easier. Even business
arrangements and office work can be accomplished within your fingertips. And
with its availability and accessibility, it has been one of the primary sources
of news and headlines.
The current times have only been evidence that it will get
easier from this point on to gain access to the internet and more and more
users are being connected to it. As of 2015, if every active Filipino internet
user will form a one big internet country, there will be enough people to match
the population of Ukraine. Is has grown by nearly 18 percent since January
2014. The Philippines is currently 16th in the world ranking when it comes to
internet usage. An average Filipino internet user enjoys an average of 6 hours
of daily internet dose. Among their most visited social platforms are Facebook,
Skype, Google+, Twitter, Viber, and Instagram.
These data are just proofs on how cyber-bullying can
seriously go from bad to WTF—the accessibility and availability of these social
media platforms where cyber-bullying can take place can spread a certain snide
comment, a poorly-thought-about statement, or an embarrassing photo and video
like wildfire within seconds. And next thing you’ll know, you have been a
victim of social-media shaming and bashing from people you don’t even know and
you’ll be hiding under a rock for the rest of your days or until another
unlucky soul becomes another victim of cyber-bullying. There are also extreme
cases when the victim falls into deep depression and it started to affect his
public reputation so much that lasting effects like antisocial behavior
develop.
Alarmingly, the Philippines now ranks as 4th leading country
to look up for “cyber bullying” at Google. Presumably, this could only mean two
things: first, people are too afraid to come out and admit that they are being
bullied and; on a more positive light, that Filipinos are gaining awareness and
wants to learn more about cyber bullying. But nonetheless, if people are
resorting to search engines to learn about cyber bullying then this could only
mean this issue requires immediate attention.
Cyber bullying is a serious matter that everyone should be
aware of. And if you think that there is need for you to seek for legal advises
regarding this matter, there are law offices and law firms in the Philippines
who will readily provide you with their expert opinion.
In the coming years, we can only expect that the internet
will continue to change our lives. We may not have any control on the possible
effects that it might bring, but we can take control of the things that we need
to know.
