People are living in an age when social media is replacing face-to-face

communication. It is undeniable that social media plays an important role in keeping

people up to date on current events. However, it lies a problem that people may
encounter when using social media, which is cyberbullying. Many people are clueless
about the way of handling cyber bullying due to its complicated characteristics. The
following essay takes a look at three main steps to overcome cyberbullying. 

The first step to get over cyberbullying is determining what you are dealing with. This
step is of the essence because the signs of cyberbullying are too vague for people to
identify. Some people just merely debate with each other and make constructive
comments on things; this does not mean they are cyberbullies. Many people who are
the victims of cyberbullying do not know that they are bullied, assuming that others
merely tell jokes. However, there are numerous signs of cyberbullying, including
someone spreading false rumors about the victims, anonymous social media users
sending threatening messages or embarrassing photos of the victims, and public
insults on social media (Cuncic, para. 13, 2021). Social media users need to radically
differ whether it is merely a funny joke or not. If jokes bring nothing but cause
emotional problems, then it is cyberbullying. Moreover, the victims of cyberbullying
find out who spreads the rumors if necessary and consider whether the situation is
under control. This way helps the victims understand the severity of the situations that
they are in to manage. It is time to move on to the next step. 

The next step is to ignore. People who are bullied on social media have to be
persistent and patient to disregard what is posted on social media platforms. This step
requires the victims a great deal of patience to ignore what hurts them because it is
one thing to say that they do not care what others spread but it is entirely something
else to completely ignore what is posted. Hershenson (2017) states, “The written word
is sometimes worse than the spoken word due to its permanency” (para. 3). All the
victims need to do is not respond in the same manner to make things go no further and
cut the time spent on social media down. This way helps them gradually get over
cyberbullying due to the minority of time spent on hurtful things. 

Seeking help is the last step in overcoming cyberbullying. After knowing what is
needed to be dealt with, seeking help from others, including close friends, teachers,
and relatives, is necessary (UNICEF, para. 7, 2017). To receive advice on how to deal
with cyberbullying, the victims need to share their stories of how they are bullied on
social media with their parents or close friends instead of avoiding the issue. After
doing so, all the victims need to do is report to the authorized people and block the
accounts of cyberbullies. Because each social media platform is striving to build a
positive environment and protect the users from cyberbullies, the users are allowed to
block if there is any sign of cyberbullying. 

To sum up, there are three main steps needed to follow to overcome cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is a problem that occurs not only in Vietnam but also in the world and
needs to be addressed. Some victims of cyberbullying are still struggling with how to
overcome and confront at some points.
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-psychology-of-cyberbullying-5086615
https://www.talkspace.com/blog/7-ways-to-deal-with-cyberbullying/
https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying