With the evolution of any form of civilization, there is bound to be an Age of Barbarianism. But when that civilization lies within the most advanced form of technology and communication, it leaves a sense of duality in our world that allows us to detach ourselves from the physical and psychological persecution, which is why the increase in cyberbullying is bringing such a great call for cyber civility.
But the road to this resolution hasn’t been without tragic causalities along the way.
The recent suicide of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi has raised awareness of the extreme affect cyberbullies have on our wellbeing. And while the only instances highlighted in the cause of his suicide are the two secret tapings of his intimate encounters with another man, there is evidence that cyberbullying in general is highly prevalent starting at an early age.
According to a 2004 i-SAFE America survey of students in fourth through eighth grade, 58 percent of students didn’t tell their parents or another adult about the harmful things they endure online. On an even more upsetting note, 53 percent of the students surveyed have said something harmful to other students online.
At the time these statistics were gathered, Clementi would have been in this demographic, most likely seventh or eighth grade.
Clementi’s death occurred on the same day that his university started a two-year “Project Civility” that focused on the “use and abuse of new technology,” according to a New York Times article about the student’s death.
Clementi’s roommate went to a classmate’s room and turned on his webcam, from which he was able to broadcast his roommate making out with a guy.
Even one of the last people to see him and share a music stand with him during rehearsal only hours before Clementi committed suicide said he didn’t notice anything particularly different about Clementi, according to The New York Times.
We live in what we like to think is an enlightened society. And the circumstance of Clementi’s invasion of privacy seems ridiculous. What would possess someone to broadcast the intimate encounters of his or her roommate in such a cruel and mocking way?
Yet cyberbullying is a serious issue that is not below or beyond adults.
Clementi, apparently plagued by his own civility and not wanting to ruffle more feathers than he had to, posted in a forum his hesitations about how to handle his unrest.
It’s impossible to force people to get along, but dormitories should foster an environment where students aren’t afraid of having their basic rights infringed upon.
Perhaps Clementi is a martyr for the 58 percent of students who claim to have been bullied online. It may seem like another suicide by cause of social networking dangers, but when will it be enough for us to act on it?
Whether you feel the taping of Clementi was a selfish prank played by students fresh out of high school or an invasion of privacy with malicious and biased intent, the fact remains that a young man felt so greatly exposed that he felt the only solution was to kill himself. And no amount of online venting could counter his vulnerability.
But with the stigma of reaching out to online communities, it seems that we’re mistaking the power of broadcasting our emotions through the canals of a Web of personalities.
When it comes to the Internet, it’s always a one-way street.
When it comes to bullying, bloody lips and stolen lunch money speak louder than anonymous forums. But maybe this on tangent where cyber meets reality, we can explore and evolve from this Age of Online Barbarianism.
