Socia Media Heckling in Games

[NCASAUmp]

I'm going to preface this with the following: I work in IT, and I'm very familiar with being online and all that goes with it. I also used to work for one of the local school districts, and before I graduated, I worked part-time at a private school. In college, I also majored in psychology. So I know a few things about this.

Cyber-bullying is, by its very nature, VERY different from face-to-face bullying. We teach children to walk away from bullies, but an online bully is almost impossible to walk away from. It's VERY easy to find someone online, and once a bully finds you, it's difficult to shake them off.

Yes, words are just words. To us. But to a child who can't process their environment like we can, words can be much more. You and I can dismiss someone else's comments and not let them get to us (otherwise we wouldn't last long in this business). Kids don't have the same abilities we have. That's why they're children: they're growing both physically and psychologically, and we can't expect them to handle things the way we can.

Dismissing any form of bullying, whether cyber or face-to-face, as "BS" is just as dangerous as condoning it.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

I'm going to preface this with the following: I work in IT, and I'm very familiar with being online and all that goes with it. I also used to work for one of the local school districts, and before I graduated, I worked part-time at a private school. In college, I also majored in psychology. So I know a few things about this.

Cyber-bullying is, by its very nature, VERY different from face-to-face bullying. We teach children to walk away from bullies, but an online bully is almost impossible to walk away from. It's VERY easy to find someone online, and once a bully finds you, it's difficult to shake them off.

Yeah, cannot possibly just turn the damn thing off, can you? People who are found are found because they have provided information that allows them to be found. Stupid is as stupid does.

Yes, words are just words. To us. But to a child who can't process their environment like we can, words can be much more. You and I can dismiss someone else's comments and not let them get to us (otherwise we wouldn't last long in this business). Kids don't have the same abilities we have. That's why they're children: they're growing both physically and psychologically, and we can't expect them to handle things the way we can.

Don't necessarily agree with that. A child only knows what people tell them and often questions that information. When they are young is the time to teach children the difference and I think you are underestimating the ability and mental capacity of children today. And if you are in IT, you should be extremely aware of their ability to understand and process things that many adults can barely grasp. It is the adults who are hard to retrain (old dog, new trick thing). Certain things are engrained in their mind, culture, beliefs, actions & reactions and they respond to certain issues, words or actions in a very specific manner without question.

Hand a condom to a Catholic youth and s/he will ponder its purpose, use and consider its value to them. Hand it to a staunch adult Catholic and they are runner for a confessional for impure thoughts.

Extreme examples? In most cases, yes, but I have grown up and still encounter folks who are just like this.

Dismissing any form of bullying, whether cyber or face-to-face, as "BS" is just as dangerous as condoning it.

If you say so. To me, it is absolutely nothing unless you allow it to be.

Think it as a coach trying to bait you into doing or saying something stupid in an argument. They will only be successful if you are dumb enough to give them the ammunition. Keep your mouth shut and let them talk themselves out and, one way or the other, they will just go away.

[MD Longhorn]

All I have to add is this: Yelling out loud in front of someone about something happening on the internet is not cyber-anything.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Yeah, cannot possibly just turn the damn thing off, can you? People who are found are found because they have provided information that allows them to be found. Stupid is as stupid does.

And that's certainly a parenting issue, but that doesn't stop the bullying from happening. It just cuts off an avenue.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Don't necessarily agree with that. A child only knows what people tell them and often questions that information. When they are young is the time to teach children the difference and I think you are underestimating the ability and mental capacity of children today. And if you are in IT, you should be extremely aware of their ability to understand and process things that many adults can barely grasp. It is the adults who are hard to retrain (old dog, new trick thing). Certain things are engrained in their mind, culture, beliefs, actions & reactions and they respond to certain issues, words or actions in a very specific manner without question.

Naturally, it depends upon the age of the child. A 17-year old is certainly much more capable of filtering information than, say, a 13-year old. And the younger the child, the more sponge-like they are. Your example is perfect: a younger child does grasp newer concepts faster than those older than him/her, and that includes their self-worth.

You know as well as I do that if all a child hears is negativity, that's what they learn: negativity. A comment or two, and most children are fine. But hearing it over and over will eventually have damaging consequences.

Study after study has shown that children with low self-esteem were often bullied. I don't know why people refuse to see the connection, nor do I see why people are so ready to dismiss cyber-bullying as being anything less than another form of bullying.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Hand a condom to a Catholic youth and s/he will ponder its purpose, use and consider its value to them. Hand it to a staunch adult Catholic and they are runner for a confessional for impure thoughts.

A defunct Catholic myself, this made me chuckle...

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Extreme examples? In most cases, yes, but I have grown up and still encounter folks who are just like this.

If you say so. To me, it is absolutely nothing unless you allow it to be.

I agree. And we're adults. We're not talking about adults.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Think it as a coach trying to bait you into doing or saying something stupid in an argument. They will only be successful if you are dumb enough to give them the ammunition. Keep your mouth shut and let them talk themselves out and, one way or the other, they will just go away.

Yes, that's how I would process it. A child is still learning these skills.