Cyberbullying and Historical Precedent

Introduction

Since the United States was founded, bullying has persisted as a problem that has permeated schools, businesses, as well as social and educational endeavors. In the beginning, bullying frequently took the form of taunting, physical harm, as well as various forms of threats of violence or emotional and sexual abuse. The advent of technological advances, such as social media, has given rise to the concept of "cyberbullying." Due to the speed, ease, and diffusion of information across various electronic mediums, men and women of all ages are falling victim to various forms of hazing. Children, in recent years, have been introduced to a quick flow of information, which includes, but is not limited to, photographs, videos, tweets, and online status updates. Many young adults engage in the practice of sending illicit photographs and videos to people they trust, only to see them spread among their peers and family. A danger to such a form of bullying is anonymity. Individuals of any age can maintain a greater degree of privacy while engaging in the hazing of their peers. In the end, the victims have a face and a name, but the attacker may well be unknown. Conversely, some aggressors actively seek the attention of those around them, and want to create a sense of dominance over the victim. There are numerous detrimental effects to such actions, especially among youth. Many children lose self-confidence and self-efficacy, many feel ostracized from their peers, and a significant fraction of these children may resort to truancy to avoid their problems. Such hazing has influenced many individuals to lash out--sometimes violently--and many more children have committed suicide after the onset of depression and anxiety. On rare occasions, victims of bullying have resorted to homicidal acts, such as school shootings to "get back" at their aggressors.

Technological advances continue to spread throughout society, and they show no signs of slowing down. The popularity of social media will likely expand in the next decade, as more and more people find electronic devices as a means to obtain information and communicate. As such, cyberbullying is unlikely to be eradicated from the stage in the near future. In fact, it may become the dominant form of social hazing. By 2025, cyberbullying will likely carry a greater impact in schools throughout the world, rather than the United States and other developed countries.

Bullying takes another form, intimidation on the world stage. Often we see similarities between the two.

Have you ever been the victim, or even the aggressor? Have you witnessed such events occuring within your school? Morevoer, what events in history represent the use of technology and information flow as a means of intimidation? Why is this a characteristic of our culture? What is it mired in? These are questions that you should seek to ask and answer. In schools, we refer to this as simply,"bullying." However, on the world stage, perhaps "intimidation" is a more apt term.

Task

Your task is as follows, use the prompts and links to help answer and evaluate the following questions:

Questions to address within your assignment:

1. Why is bullying within social groups a major problem in countries such as the United States?

2. What does this social construct stem from? Do we see it in social issues involving the world stage? Why or why not?

3. What are the policies and/or actions currently in place to prevent such problems? Are they effective?

4. Why has technology made bullying and intimidation an easier practice?

5. What is the purpose of bullying? Why do people/countries engage in it?

6. Do you believe that the problem will persist? Do you believe that it will take another form?

7. What is the correlation between other countries and isolated events?
a. How are they different? How are they similar?

What forms of bullying--cyber or otherwise--do you/have you witnessed between different countries? Both in regard to current events and historical events. What are the potential international repercussions?

(i.e) Space races, arms races, militarization...

(i.e) Political campaigns

And what are the implications of such actions?

You should be able to describe the importance of the issue, as well as tie it to past, modern, and potential future events.

FINALLY. Take a stance on this issue. Do you feel as though this is an issue that will continue to persist? Why or why not? Explain your answer. Moreover, do you feel that this issue is characteristic of only the United States? Provide evidence to support your argument. Lastly, what are some steps that you feel can mitigate this issue on a small and global scale? Is there anything we can do? Or is this issue insurmountable?

NCSS 8: Students will understand the correlation of science and technology with the social topic being presented. The student will demonstrate a knowledge of why this issue has persisted over the years, what it causes and relates to, as well as how technological advances have allowed the problem to persist. Furthermore, the student can infer what this social issue will be like in the coming decade.

NCSS 9: The student will draw analogies of cyber-bullying and "normal" bullying with events that have and do occur on the world stage, with regard to political, militaristic, and economic issues. The student will demonstrate a knowledge of methods that could be used to circumvent these problems, and will evaluate the importance of the topic as it pertains to history and social studies.

Cyberbullying

www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/.../vol3no1/04DoneganEJSpring12.pdf

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/09/cyber_bullying_wont_be_tolerat.html

http://www.ncpc.org/topics/cyberbullying

History:

http://bullying190.blogspot.com/2012/10/history-of-bullying.html

http://www.pacer.org/bullying/about/history.asp

http://m.livescience.com/1947-evolution-bullying.html

International Issues:
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-dismisses-us-sanctions-bullying-075657630.html

http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/04/us-bullying-stance-on-n-korea-iran-reveals-washington-aggression/

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/07/17/russia-slams-latest-us-sanctions-over-ukraine-as-bullying/

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/arms-race

Picture/Video Sources:

http://www.xmind.net/m/Dwfk/

https://www.mindmeister.com/40563301/cyberbullying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nXWVDnF-hc

Keep in mind that these links serve as starting off points, feel free to seek outside sources. Also remember that news sources are often biased and non-objective.

Process

Step 1: Divide into groups of 4 (groups have been pre-determined)

Step 2: Use the provided websites and primary sources to formulate answers to the questions

Step 3: Study the information carefully, use it as a baseline for uncovering new sources

Step 4: Formulate a 1 page summary of your findings

Step 5: Create a short group presentation (3-6 minutes) to present your findings to the class (posterboard and materials provided)
        a. Present analysis of past and present findings
        b. Discuss opinions of future events
        c. Information will be presented orally to the class

Step 6: Each group member will compose a 1 page analysis of their findings
a. Members will divide work among past, current, and upcoming events, the final paper should address the relationship between feuding countries as technology advances (4 papers total)

        Include these points:
        a. How technology has permeated society and allowed bullying to persist
        b. How this flow of information will effect the relationsship between countries (i.e. North Korea & the U.S.)
        c. How can this problem be addressed in schools, as well as between large groups of people?
        d. Any remaining important information

Evaluation

You will be evaluated on NCSS Standards 8 and 9

-Global Technology and Innovation
-Global Connections

You will be able to make connections of this social topic to each standard, and understand its importance to social studies and history.

Paper should be 12 point font, double spaced. I do not like page limits, as I feel that they stifle creativity, but this is a 1 page, quick summary.

See grading rubric for critieria.

EVALUATION OF PRESENTATION:

1. (Insufficient) Research, synthesis of thoughts, presentation are incomplete and/or do not address questions presented.

2. (Needs Improvement) Research, synthesis of thoughts, and presentation display partial understanding.

3. (Satisfactory) Research, synthesis of thoughts, and presentation reflect general understanding of material. Little room for improvement.

4. (Mastery) Research, synthesis of thoughts, and presentation reflect a mastery of understanding of the material.

RUBRIC FOR PAGE SUMMARY

GROUP EVALUATION:

Group ____________

Performance of Teammates (1-4) Four being highest:

List the division of labor among teammates (If Applicable)

What, if anything, would your team have done differently?

Do you feel that this activity helped you understand the material? Why or why not?

Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope that this assignment imbues you with an understanding of the correlation between history and current events and social issues. This is of tremendous importance when studying history. An analysis of sources, both primary and secondary is a major tenant of learning social studies. It is equally important to make analogies of current events to past events. So too is it important to make inferences and predictions. I hope that you will be able to take this information to make predictions about this issue on the world stage in the coming years.

In the end, you should understand the correlation between the cause and effect relationships that these issues carry. Furthermore, your analysis should yield an understanding of the repercussions of each problem. Hopefully, it will further create ideas that can be used to solve the problem at hand.

Again, this assignment addresses NCSS themes 8 and 9.

Credits

National Standards for Social Studies Teachers: Volume 1 (Revised 2002)