Cyber Bullying: Why We Should Take Time to Address the Issue

The more social media becomes popular, the more negative trends seem to avail themselves online. One such trend is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is defined as the use of electronic communication to bully a person, which typically involves sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. Cyberbullying has been known to cause distress in people, social anxiety, low self-esteem, and a myriad of other mental health issues. These effects of cyberbullying are under normal circumstances, bad enough. In a conflict type of situation, they could be catastrophic in awakening hate in people, against each other.

South Sudan has not been exempted from accounts of cyberbullying and because of the seriousness of the issue, there’s need to have measures that can protect South Sudanese against cyberbullying. The responsibility of ending cyberbullying is not limited to certain parties alone but includes all social media users in South Sudan. Citizens, therefore, can work hand in hand with each other, organisations and the government to ensure that the practice is curbed for a healthier online environment in South Sudan.

#DefyHateNow Reflection of The Week: Cyberbullying can affect each and every one of us at a given time. Anyone can be a victim. Just like hate speech and misinformation, South Sudanese would be at an advantage if they had properly set-up clear frameworks that they can turn to as victims of cyberbullying. Additionally, it would be advantageous if South Sudanese were empowered with the means of getting ahead of cyberbullying before it gets out of hand.

Have you, or anyone you know been a victim of cyberbullying? How did you/they address the situation? What more do you think can be done on the issue? We would like to hear from you on our social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.