What is Cyberbullying and what are the consequences on the victim’s life?

The evolution of the internet and social networks has brought many benefits to the world. However, there is also a bad side to this. such as cyber crimes and cyber bullying.

For those who don’t know, characterized by aggressive behavior onlineIn fact, it is a situation that can lead to more serious consequences, both due to the psychological problems of those who experience it. Those who commit such crimes will be punished.

Today TecMundo clarifies What is cyberbullying and the consequences of those who engage in this harmful practice. Check out!

What is cyberbullying?

As the name suggests, Cyberbullying is a version of bullying but is practiced through virtual means such as the internet. Crime is also characterized by crimes and social demoralization, and in some cases also involves the revelation of annoying situations, which is always aimed at harming the victim.

The biggest difference regarding bullying is that it is carried out in a virtual environment. There is no aggravating factor such as physical violence. But most of the time action aims at virtual exhibitionIt can be done on social networks, forums and even instant messaging applications.

Common acts of cyberbullying include:

• Swearing or threatening on social media profiles or through instant messaging applications;
• Dissemination of embarrassing images;
• Create fake news, famous Fake News, that are intended to harm specific individuals involved;
• Creating fake profiles pretending to be another person and taking actions that may cause harm to that person.

What are the consequences for those who are subjected to cyberbullying?

For those who are exposed to cyberbullying, The consequences mostly relate to mental health. This is because most attacks aim to expose victims who may be harmed by data illegally shared online, or even intimate photos and videos leaked without their consent or for revenge purposes (a practice called revenge porn).

That’s what happened to the Canadian 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons hanged herself in 2014 after being subjected to constant attacks online. It all started two years ago when four young people were sexually abused and the images were shared on social media. Since then, the victim has been subjected to insults and threats, resulting in the tragic incident.

Because of this section, The Canadian province of Nova Scotia created the first law to punish such crimes committed on the Internet. The Canadian province also became the first province to set aside a dedicated police station for cyberbullying complaints.

There are other serious cases the victim is included in an untrue story, the popular Fake News. These can have devastating consequences, such as a person being subjected to threats or even attacks due to events that they were not a part of.

For example, in Brazil we encountered cases where people were attacked and some even died. Similar to what happened to Fabiane Maria de Jesus in 2014. The housewife was tied, beaten and dragged by a group of residents in the Morrinhos district of Guarujá (SP). Falsely accused of performing black magic on kidnapped children.

Moreover, this entire cruel act was filmed and published on social networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp. Proven three years after the murder It was all fake news. Today, there is a compensation case pending decision in the extraordinary appeal at the Federal Supreme Court (STF).

Be aware of cyberbullying

No matter how strange it may seem, You may be engaging in some form of cyberbullying too without even realizing it. To avoid such attitudes, you need to be aware of some common behaviors on the internet today.

The first of these is to always be aware of the infamous Fake News. So before criticizing or even accusing a person of committing an alleged crime, It is necessary to find information from reliable sources that can prove what actually happened.

Another way to spread cyberbullying We call this Virtual Lynching. Here, users go to a profile to criticize a person for a particular attitude. You can even impose penalties on company accounts and other profiles linked to it.

besides being very harmful behavior, usually influenced by a group of people who had the habit of carrying out this lynching periodically. They carry out these actions without proving what actually happened, that is, without listening to the other side.

Now, if you are a victim of cyberbullying online, The first step is to take action with the authorities, Thus, those responsible can be held responsible for their criminal acts.

Besides, To avoid such problems, you can also take some precautions:

• Lock your profile on social networksallowing only friends or people you trust to access your posts;
• Remove comments Photos or videos that contain threats, insults or other attacks;
• Do not stay in groups where you are exposed to false accusationsThis continues even after you defend yourself and even prove your innocence.

What are the penalties for cyberbullying?

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) at the beginning of the year passed a new law aimed at punishing those who commit bullying and cyberbullying. It imposes more serious penalties on offenders, as well as aggravating circumstances for heinous crimes arising from such conduct.

As a result, the law today defines bullying as the act of “systematically intimidating one or more persons, individually or in groups, through physical or psychological violence, in an intentional and repetitive manner, without clear motivation, through acts of intimidation, humiliation or humiliation.” discrimination or verbal, moral, sexual, social, psychological, physical, material or virtual actions”.

In cyber bullying, The penalty is imprisonment from 2 to 4 years, in addition to a fine. Definition of crime; It includes systematic intimidation carried out through social networks, applications, online games or any other digital medium or environment.

The law also covers other conduct such as: Encouraging or assisting suicide or self-harm using the Internet. In these cases, the defendant cannot be released on bail or even receive parole.

Now that you know what cyberbullying is, go to the authorities if you are being victimized or change your behavior if you are doing something that could be considered offensive.

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