Brittany Hanson, 21, studies Family Social Science at the
University of Minnesota. She currently interns with ReachOut.com in
Australia. In this article, Brittany writes about her personal
experience with bullying via Facebook, and the privacy and
protection features available to protect yourself online.
Facebook's creation was intended for students to connect with
other students within their college. It would soon explode to
become a world wide phenomenon with over 800 million reported users. Gone are the days
of staying connected through phone and email - with a simple click
of a button we can engulf ourselves in the personal life of a
friend. But where do we draw the line on letting others into our
business? When does going on facebook become unhealthy? My personal
experience with cyber-bullying via social networking services made
me ask myself "What do I want from Facebook? What can I do to keep
this a safe space?"
Facebook has given me the opportunity to connect with friends I
wouldn't be able to speak to on a regular basis. It has also opened
the door for strangers and acquaintances to contact me and view my
personal information. Privacy is of extreme importance to me and I
regularly check my friend list to make sure I am comfortable with
who is on there.
Recently I was bullied by a friend of my ex-boyfriend. I was in
shock that I was a victim of this when I had been so careful to
protect myself. In my cyber-bulling experience I was sent hateful
messages that were intended to put me down, make me feel guilty and
blame me for actions that I was not responsible for. The intention
was not to contact me to resolve the issue, but to cause pain and
push me to retaliate back. It was then I had to reevaluate what I
wanted to get from facebook, was I using it to spy on other
people's actions or to connect with the ones I loved?
It doesn't take much effort to bully someone through the
computer, and it can have a serious impact on their mental health.
I felt that I was forced to respond back to the rumours this person
had started and to tell them that what they were doing wasn't
right. I felt defeated because I thought that there was no option
that would give me a resolution to this problem. In the end I felt
the best choice was to block the people who had contacted me in
order to protect myself from further messages. I had to cut people
out of my life that I had previously trusted and relied on for
support.
Though this experience was challenging social networking
continues to be an important part of my life. Social networking has
provided great benefits for young people. It can be used as a
resource and a place to reach out and connect with friends. Mental
health professionals can use Facebook to connect with young people
who may not have access to a GP or professional services. Facebook
itself has worked extensively on providing a safe space. They have
a set up a webpage that communicates with parents and young people
about the steps you can take to protect yourself
online.
Looking through your friend list is the first step in helping to
eliminate these attacks: are the friends trustworthy, loyal and
caring? Do you add people that are acquaintances or may have
connections to someone you want to know more information about?
Facebook has tutorial videos that break it down for the user and
even parents and teachers. You can now sort people into groups and
limit the information that each group can view. Taking five minutes
to protect yourself will in return allow you to safely use
Facebook.
Facebook has provided gateways for me to connect with people I
care about, and if used in an appropriate way it can also be used
as a place to strengthen social connections and access support from
friends. Learning how people can protect themselves on Facebook
will allow you to help young people keep their online social
networks a positive space for their wellbeing.
Interested in knowing more about how young
people protect themselves online?
Recent research from the Cooperative
Research Centre for Young People, Technology & Wellbeing
asked young people to share their strategies for staying safe
online.
Intergenerational Attitudes towards Social
Networking and Cybersafety: A Living Lab.
By Third, A., Richardson, I., Collin, P., Rahilly, K. &
Bolzan, N.; Cooperative Research Centre for Young People,
Technology and Wellbeing, Melbourne (2011)