Murphy 1 Krista Murphy B.

Presnell English 1102 8 April 2012 Cyber Harassment Induced Suicide: A Misunderstood Tragedy Words Hurt Its a Monday morning; Jimmys mother is about to go through her daily routine. She knocks on the bedroom of Jimmys little sister, and wakes her gently, moving swiftly down the hall. She knocks on Jimmys door with no response. Thinking nothing of it, she knocks again, this time a bit louder. Calling his name, she opens the door to see her worst nightmare in front of her own eyes. Her son is hanging from his ceiling fan, dead. Only thirteen, his limp body sends his mother into a panic; her screams draw his father and sister to his bedroom. As reality sets in, his father calls the authorities; while his body is being removed, an EMT worker notices that his web browser had remained open throughout everything that had happened. As Jimmys mother read the last thing her son had seen, all she could do was break down into tears. A Facebook post had been written on Jimmys wall reading:

Youre gay, everyone knows! Just come out of the closet. Everyone is still gonna hate you, either way.

Cyber bullying is a very real issue in todays world. Seeming to be overlooked, the issue is advancing at a similar pace as technology. Aside from the psychological damage and the emotional stress that is put on victims, suicide is a very real side effect for many young people.

Murphy 2 Increasing Technology Leading to Increasing Suicide Rates One of the first social networks that was introduced to the current generation of youth in America, today was MySpace. Starting as a file sharing website, it gave users the opportunity, not only to keep in contact with personal friends, but to branch out and network with people around the world who shared common interests (MySpace). Founded in January 2003, MySpace was introduced to a world where technology was still in the very budding stages. The network reached its peak between 2005 and 2008 (MySpace). As this network grew and gained a variety of users, from all different walks of life and age groups, popularity spread like wildfire. One downfall to MySpace, as noted by many parents and teachers was the fact that the age grouping was so diverse within the network. User ages ranged from 12 years old all the way through college aged adults, at about 20 (MySpace). Allowing children of 12 or 13 the ability to interact freely with college students or even unfamiliar adults was not seen as a good judgment by the parental community, at the time. Another issue with MySpace was how easily a profile could be assembled; this proved to be fatal in the case of thirteen year old Megan Meier (Megan). On October 17, 2006, Megan Meier committed suicide due to cyber bullying enabled through MySpace. A few weeks before her death, Megan had met who she thought was a sixteen year old boy by the name of Josh Evans, online (Megan). The two had exchanged a few messages and Megan developed a crush for Josh Evans. Evans had supposedly moved to Megans area, around the time that they had become associated. Things had went well between the two, or so Megan had thought, until the day that Josh had send a message saying that he wasnt sure if he wanted to be her friend. After that, he proceeded to say things that degraded her character, as well as her self esteem. Megans final message to Josh was a haunting foreshadowing of her death; Youre the kind of boy a girl could kill herself over, was all she said (Megan). That same day,

Murphy 3 she was found dead, hanging in her closet. As with any death, the authorities were brought immediately brought in for an investigation. Megans MySpace page was one of the first things to be inspected. As the police dove deeper into her life through MySpace, they found a horrifying secret; Megans friend known as Josh Evans, was actually a grown woman and her daughter, a former friend of Megans (Parents). Lori Drew was found responsible for the creation of Josh Evans account. She claimed that it was a joke, the whole time, especially after the reality of Megans death had set in (Parents). Megan and Lori Drews daughter had a fight not too long before Josh Evans was created. The ability to create a fake account was extremely easy for Lori Drew; all that was needed was an email account, a fake birth date and a picture from Google (Megan). A three step process was all it took for this woman to degrade a child through the internet. Megan Meiers case was one of three recorded between the years of 2005 and 2008, while MySpace was popular. As a new social network was born to overshadow MySpace, Facebook would enable over double the number of suicides committed by young people. Launched in February of 2004, Facebook took the world of MySpace by storm (Facebook). Gaining popularity by 2010, the network gained over 400 million users; like MySpace, these users had very diverse demographics (Facebook). Though Facebook had just as much diversity in its users as MySpace, people felt that it was safer. Facebooks network had certain networking techniques that only brought profiles together that shared common factors, such as graduating classes from particular high schools, college networks and even places of employment (Facebook). Facebook also made it very easy to share your personal experiences with people; whether it be through pictures, posts or even videos (a feature that MySpace also lacked), users had the ability to display very intimate details of their day to day activities with their friends. Facebook seemed like

Murphy 4 a sanctuary compared to the world of MySpace; the privacy features were outstanding, which was a large difference from that of MySpace (Facebook). Sharing information with close friends and people in a similar network was supposed to be a safe environment for users. This concept rang true, until the high school community began to bring the hallways to the internet. Phoebe Prince was a fifteen year old, transfer freshman at South Hadley High School, in Massachusetts (Kennedy). She had moved from Ireland, so needless to say, she was different. The popular girls at her high school did not approve of her, to say the least. She was made fun of on a daily basis, so when she formed a relationship with a senior athlete, it was a shock (Kennedy). Phoebes torment eventually reached Facebook; messages from the popular girls at school were too much for her to handle. On January 14, 2010, Phoebe committed suicide by hanging (Kennedy). Fifteen year old Tom Mullaney met the same fate, as well (Schoolboy). He was tormented at school, as well as on Facebook. There was even a message sent to Mullaney saying We know where you live (Schoolboy). The stories of distraught teens do not stop there. Jamey Rodemeyer was only 14 years old when he took his own life (Jamey). Like Prince and Mullaney, he was also bullied and teased on a daily basis at school. Rodemeyer was a homosexual, and in turn a gay activist. He used multiple social networking sites including Facebook, FormSpring (a profile where users post messages anonymously to other profiles), and YouTube. The hate messages he received were horrific; someone posted I wouldnt care if you died. No one would. So just do it : ) on his FormSpring (Jamey). The harassment on Facebook was also a lot to bare; Rodemeyer received posts saying You werent born this way; you shouldnt have ever been born, and things of the like, on a daily basis (James). Despite all of that, Rodemeyer still seemed to go about his life as he would normally, using YouTube as a way to reach out to other members of the LBGT (Lesbian Bi Gay and Transsexual) community (James).

Murphy 5 The bullying became too much, though. On September 18, 2011, he took his own life (James). Tyler Clementi was another homosexual victim of bullying, both on and off of the internet. Clementi was a college freshman, who lived in on campus housing with a roommate (Tyler). His roommate allegedly taped him having relations with another man and released the video online; it went viral. The video was put on YouTube, and spread through Facebook (Tyler). On September 20, 2011, Tyler Clementi posted a single, haunting Facebook status: Jumping off the [George Washington] bridge sorry (Tyler). His body was found a few days later, further down the Hudson river (Tyler). To say that social networking, specifically the advance of Facebook, played a role in the deaths of these teens would be an understatement. The change in social networking was not the only cause of these increased numbers, though. As the world transitioned from MySpace to Facebook, the cell phone world exploded. Smart phones, such as Blackberries and iPhones were born; soon after birth they reached the hands of this current generation of youth in America. Nowadays, social networking is very dependant upon cell phones; Twitter, alone could not function without mobile devices. Having Facebook on the go directly contributed to the harassment these young adults faced. Within three seconds a Facebook post can be made; with an additional five seconds, over half of someones friends list could have already viewed that same post. Phoebe Prince, Tom Mullaney, Jamey Rodemeyer, and Tyler Clementi were all victims of cyber bullying, and it just became too much. Many people can only sit and ask themselves how this could even happen to such young individuals. Who Is Chosen? What makes some people such easy targets for internet harassment? It seems as though it was effortless for Lori Drew to torment young Megan Meier, through MySpace. Phoebe Princes

Murphy 6 high school enemies were only two clicks away from flooding her inbox with hate mail, but why? The answer is simple: difference. Phoebe Prince best embodies this point. Prince had just moved all the way to Massachusetts from Ireland; seeing as how she grew up in Ireland, it is best assumed that her style of dress as well as her accent was very different from the people in the area she moved to. The girls at her high school were very opposed to accepting her. Instead of just determining that she was different and that they had no desire to befriend her, these girls tried to eliminate her. High school is much like the wilderness, socially; it is very survival of the fittest. Phoebe was seen as a weak link, so she was targeted. Weakness is not the only determining factor in the cases of cyber bullying. Jamey Rodemeyer was an openly gay teenager in Buffalo, New York. He stood strong in his beliefs, which were very unorthodox (Jamey). Him being openly gay was an easy target for his cyber bullies; a persons sexual orientation can be very personal, especially in the stages where they are finding themselves. For the most part, those who are victims of cyber bullying, whether resulting in suicide or not, are sensitive people, in delicate situations. Rebecca Williams, a 14 year old freshman in high school has witnessed, first hand how cruel internet harassment can be. Rebeccas parents have been divorced for quite some time, now, but the subject can be very sensitive, at times. Knowing that this was a very delicate topic, when conflict arose between herself and a classmate, Rebecca had the emotional stress of it held against her. Last year, one of my friends got mad at me, so she told everyone about Momma and Daddys divorce [over Facebook]. Some kids felt sorry, but there were others that picked on me because of it, Rebecca said. Luckily, the teasing wasnt persisting in Rebeccas case. The flaw, or easy target in her life wasnt as big of a difference in her school from many other students in her school. What happened to Rebecca was a very minor case of internet harassment; the issue can definitely

Murphy 7 happen on many levels. Defining Harassment Many people have very restricted views on what cyber bullying can consist of. Most just assume that daily posts or statuses about a certain person are the extent of it; little do they know, the issue is much deeper than that. Text is only one minute form of harassment through the internet. Pictures and videos can be just as fatal as someones hurtful words about another person. As witnessed in the case of Tyler Clementi, pictures and videos are easily spread for a quick laugh. Pictures are beginning to be a very popular form of humiliation through the social media networks. Snapping a shot of a stranger, or even a friend without their knowledge is as easy as three clicks on a smart phone. With the age of cell phones in todays world, a picture can go viral within three hours. Videos are even more popular than pictures, it seems. There are countless numbers of degrading videos circulating the internet as we speak; these videos include, but are not limited to, gangs jumping individuals, sex tapes that were meant for intimate recipients, and even simple recordings of people wearing clothes found to be unattractive. Internet harassment is a growing issue, largely due to the fact that many people do not think of what theyre doing as wrong. Internet harassment, better known as cyber bullying is the simple act of using the internet to degrade or publicly humiliate another person. Whether its defacing their name using words or taking their picture as a way to mock them, cyber bullying is not something to be taken lightly. As technology increases, more and more young people are continually losing their lives because of the importance put on social status. Correlating Numbers Between the years of 1990 and 2003, the suicide rates in America had decreased by twentyeight percent. As the first popular social network, MySpace was established, these numbers take a

Murphy 8 horrifying turn. In 2003 and 2004, the CDC reports that the suicide rate for people under the age of nineteen increased fourteen percent, and it increased eight percent among 10-24 year olds (Services). It is hard for professionals to say in a definite manner what the exact cause of this increase in number was; suicide is a very complex issue, due to the fact that there is not one set cause or warning sign (Services). I believe that the increase in social networks has been a direct cause in the suicide rates rising. Social networks are controlling society; users are becoming more and more dependant on them. When someone reaches a certain level of dependency, it can become a life or death decision, and as we have seen, many young people are choosing death. The biggest problem when it comes to cyber bullying induced suicide is that no one wants to talk about it. Prevention For A Better Tomorrow The only time anyone hears about cyber bullying is when the death of a teen is being reported. The key to stopping any issue is awareness and prevention. Protecting oneself online is very important; protecting your loved ones comes next. Emotionally vulnerable children having access to the internet can be very dangerous. Why is no one taking the time to talk to them about their feelings? As clich as it may be, someone needs to bring back the concept of Its okay to be sad. There needs to be more programs for suicide and cyber bullying awareness being brought to elementary, middle, high schools, and even college campuses. Suicide is no less of an issue than cancer or AIDS; suicide, though unorthodox to many needs just as much attention as other issues. If more awareness was brought to this issue, suicide and depression rates would decrease. The world cannot afford to lose any more young people to their own hands; a movement is needed to show them there is an alternative. Life goes on, it does get better, are the messages that should be shared, instead of We hate you. The more light shed on the tragedy of lives lost to suicide because of cyber bullying, the more chance there will be to help the ones who feel like they cannot

Murphy 9 go on because of it.

Works Cited "Facebook." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook>.

Murphy 10 James, Susan Donaldson. "Jamey Rodemeyer Suicide: Police Consider Criminal Bullying Charges." ABC News. ABC News Network, 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-ny-police-open-criminalinvestigation/story?id=14580832>. Kennedy, Helen. "Phoebe Prince, South Hadley High School's 'new Girl,' Driven to Suicide by Teenage Cyber Bullies." New York Daily News. 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-03-29/news/27060348_1_facebook-town-hallmeetings-school-library>. "Myspace." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace>. "Parents: Cyber Bullying Led to Teen's Suicide." ABC News. ABC News Network, 19 Nov. 2007. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3882520> "Schoolboy, 15, Hangs Himself after 'being Plagued by Online Bullies'" Mail Online. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1280171/Schoolboy-15-hangsplagued-bullies.html>. Services, Msnbc.com News. "CDC: Suicide Rate Jumps for Kids, Young Adults." Msnbc.com. Msnbc Digital Network, 06 Sept. 2007. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20620477/ns/health-mental_health/t/cdc-suicide-ratejumps-kids-young-adults/>. "Suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Jamey_Rodemeyer>. "Suicide of Megan Meier." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Sept. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Megan_Meier>.

Murphy 11 "Tyler Clementi." - The New York Times. 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/tyler_clementi/index.html>.William s, Rebecca. Personal Interview. 19 March 2012