Kwanisha McCraw
Professor Askew
English LD10
November 24, 2014
C&C Analysis
What Exactly Is the Cause of Bullying?
In her essay "Social Networking Sites Cannot Be Blamed for Bullying," Kate Harding focuses on how social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter are the causes of bullying. She argues that networking sites are only a new medium for teenagers to wage their wars. Kate suggest that educators and parents should teach students how to behave responsibly online, but I personally think that with a better understanding of cyber bullying, schools, parents, and communities can more effectively work to create a safer environment for students. Therefore, educators and parents should try and research some information on cyber bullying so they can get a better concept of how to prevent their kids from bullying or being bullied.
Kate's argument isn’t reasonable because it lacks information on what exactly causes internet bullying and how to prevent your child from going through it. In her first paragraph Kate states that "draconian measures" will only withdraw the affections of teenagers instead of helping them to navigate social networking sites safely, but that isn’t necessarily true. Being glued to a computer all day is unhealthy for a young body so parents should try more often to get their kids of their devices and outside.
Although social networking sites aren’t the blame for vile gossip or cafeteria brawls, it has allowed those problems to expand, become more elusive, and even harder to define. One aspect of social media is online publications to personal information, which is very dangerous because it allows others to see another side of a person more often kept in private in a face-to-face interaction. Another aspect of social media that can be dangerous and misleading is the ability to create alias profiles. The ability for teens to hide and/or lie about their identities gives them opportunities to say anything to other individuals without the worry of any repercussions. This puts many teens in a position as either the victim or the offender.
Kate's suggestion that parents should teach students responsible behaviors online, which is reasonable, but how do parents know where to start? Well I will give a couple of examples of what to do. First, be aware of what your kids are doing online. Know the sites your kids visit and their online activities. Have a sense of what they do online and in texts. Lastly, encourage them to not be afraid to tell you if they, or someone they know, is being bullied. Explain that