Cause & Effect Essay

Running head: CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF CYBER BULLYING 1

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF CYBER BULLYING 5

Causes and Effects of Cyber Bullying

Ms. Trevathan – English Comp I

15 February 2019

[Check with your instructor, but most ENGL1301 courses require MLA rather than APA style for formatting. See the MLA and APA style resources in the Writing Lab for demonstrations of each formatting style.]

Introduction

Cyberbullying can be defined as [is] the deliberate use of online information and communication channels by an individual or group of individuals to express hostile behavior with the intent of harming others. [Avoid passive voice. If it “is” this, then state that. If it “can be defined” as this, then who defines it this way?] The difference between cyberbullying and the traditional type of bullying is that the former can be perpetrated with anonymity. Therefore, cyber bullies can hide behind their computers or mobile phones and harass other people without having to own their actions. In schools, for example, anonymity most often makes it hard for authorities to curb the behavior of cyberbullying because it falls beyond their legal reach. There are different forms of cyberbullying ranging from harassment and cyber-stalking to impersonation and cyber threats among others (Betts, 2016). End your introductory paragraph with a thesis statement. In one sentence, what are the main ideas that the following paragraphs show to be true? The order ideas are discussed in the following paragraphs should be the order of the ideas listed in the thesis at the end of the introduction paragraph. This single statement tells the reader the main point of the essay in a clear and direct way. Your thesis statement should focus the main purpose of your essay into one clear and complete sentence. Visit this website for additional guidance and information on thesis statements: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

Significance of the study [Check with your instructor for her requirements, but typically, short academic essays do not use headings unless it is scientific or technical writing. Headings are used when you expect the reader to look for specific sections to read and not read from beginning to end.]

Cases of cyberbullying have been rampant in schools for some time now. However, this issue is still new to stakeholders in the education sector hence giving educators challenges on how to deal with it. The purpose of this paper is to study, explore, and present the causes and effects of cyberbullying as well as its psychological impact. The goal here is to give school authorities a better understanding of cyberbullying and recommendation on how to deal with the issue. [This paragraph is not needed. It does not show the causes or effects of cyberbullying, which each paragraph of the paper should do.]

Examples of cyberbullying

In the modern world, the phenomenon of bullying has evolved from the traditional form and adopted a more dangerous online form that is cyberbullying. This type of bullying has a widespread effect [Effects are discussed in the next paragraph. This paragraph should only be about the causes.] on many aspects of human interactions. The ability of people from different corners of the world to interact in real time on the internet opens up channels for cyberbullying. [This is the only sentence in the paragraph that mentions a cause (the ease of doing it anonymously). Focus the entire paragraph just on explaining the causes of it. Why do people cyberbully? That should be the question to answer in this paragraph. A paragraph should have (1) a topic sentence, (2) 2-3 sentences about 2-3 supporting ideas, and (3) a conclusion/transition sentence. As a general rule, you want to aim to produce paragraphs that are at least five (5) but usually not more than twelve (12) sentences in length. Additionally, you want to make sure each body paragraph has a specific and clear focus that ties back to the purpose of your essay.] Therefore, cyberbullying is rampant on many internet social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube among others. However, efforts to reduce and eventually stop cyberbullying have to start by recognizing the existence of the problem. Specific examples of cyberbullying may involve creating fake online profiles to impersonate other users, sending harassing messages, as well as accessing other peoples’ personal computers and folders illegally (Chadwick, 2014). How to stop/solve the problem should be discussed in the conclusion paragraph. First, you must show the causes/effects of the problem in the body paragraphs of the paper. Showing examples of cyberbullying should be in the introduction paragraph. Define and introduce what it is in the introduction paragraph before focusing one body paragraph on each cause and/or each effect of cyberbullying. Try the following organization:

Introduction: What is cyberbullying? Examples? End with your thesis about causes/effects.

Paragraph 1: Causes of cyberbullying

Paragraph 2: Effects of cyberbullying

Conclusion: Solutions to cyberbullying

You might have more than one body paragraph on each cause or each effect if you have enough to fill up those paragraphs. Begin a new paragraph when changing time, place, speaker, or main idea. The standard essay has an introductory paragraph that ends in a thesis statement, supporting paragraphs focusing on one new idea each, and a conclusion focused on lessons learned or results. These are the minimum components required to have a complete document. For additional information of constructing a solid essay, visit the Writing Lab Hubs!

Effects of cyberbullying [You must first show the causes before you can show the effects.]

There are many effects linked to cyberbullying in social media. What are the effects? Name them in the topic sentence. Prove them in the rest of the paragraph. Avoid vague sentence structures like “there are” or “it is.” Instead focus on a concrete subject/verb since the subject/verb are the main words of the sentence. The result will be more concise and clearer sentences and ideas.] For example, recent research shows that many cases of depression in teenagers are related to cyberbullying. [Cite the research. APA style citations use the author’s last name, year of publication, and page number like this: (Smith, 2013, p. 232). Use the article title if the author is not known like this: (“Title of Article,” 2013, p. 232). Omit the page number if there are none (such as a web source) like this: (Smith, 2013) or (“Title of Article,” 2013). If you mention the author in the sentence, then cite the publication date immediately after the author's name and the page number at the end (or omit if the source has no page numbers) like this: Smith (2013) said, "quote" (p. 232) or Smith (2013) said, "quote." There are other circumstances causing this format to change so please visit this website to see other examples you may find helpful: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/ The Writing Lab also has APA style resources in the MLA and APA Hub, with helpful links and additional information regarding APA format.] Furthermore, because of the unregulated nature of content within many social media platforms, many teenagers fall victim of cyberbullying leading to a rise in cases of suicides. However, some of these social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have made efforts to curb cyberbullying by providing their users with the option of reporting and blocking abusive content posted on their platforms (Betts, 2016).

Researchers have concluded that people who are subjected to cyberbullying manifest negative reaction similar to those manifested by people who go through the traditional form of bullying. The topic sentence (first sentence of the paragraph) must state the main point of the paragraph and cannot be source material. You want to think of your topic sentence as a “mini-thesis” for each paragraph, where you will inform your reader of what you are addressing in each specific body paragraph in the first line of that paragraph. This ensures quality organization of your document that your reader can effectively follow. This [Avoid vague pronouns like “it,” “these,” “that,” or “this.” Pronouns only refer to the most recent noun of the same number and not to entire sentences or ideas. What is “this” here precisely?] shows that cyberbullying has the same, or worse, effect as traditional bullying. It could be argued that cyberbullying has more damaging effects because of the ability of the internet to provide anonymity to bullies. Furthermore, cyberbullying affects the behavioral, emotional, and psychological aspects of victims. This leads to feelings of embarrassment, suicide, anxiety, low self-esteem, truancy, as well as a decrease in academic performance (Chadwick, 2014). [Do not end paragraphs with research. End with a transition sentence or wrap up sentence in your own words to bring the paragraph to an effective close.]

Solutions for cyberbullying [Solutions should be in the conclusion. The conclusion focuses on results. The paper shows the causes/effects of the problem. The result of understanding those causes/effects is solving the problem, so solutions go in conclusions.]

The best way to reduce and stop cyberbullying is to identify the cause and take immediate action. For example, if the cause is a jilted former lover or a friend, then it would be reasonable to talk with them and ask them to stop. In addition to that, it would be necessary to change the account settings and block the bully to stop any possibilities of interaction with them. Furthermore, help should be sought from the authorities, especially when the bully gives threats (Englander, 2013).

Conclusion

In conclusion, cyberbullying is a big challenge for many online users, especially teenagers. The dynamic nature of the internet makes it possible for cyber bullies to harass other people without having to own their actions. Incidents of suicide and homicide have occurred in cases where cyberbullying went on unchecked and unreported. It is necessary for specific online platforms to provide users with safe environments where bullying does not happen.

References [Don’t bold titles.]

[More than the author, date, and title is required for each citation. The References page is a complex part of the academic paper. In addition to double spacing all lines, alphabetizing entries, and using the hanging indent, APA format requires one to include information about the source following a specific format and included detailed information. Visit this website for specific examples you may find helpful: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/ The Writing Lab also has APA style resources in the MLA and APA Hub, with helpful links and additional information regarding APA format.]

Betts, L. R. (2016). Cyberbullying: Approaches, Consequences, and Interventions.

Chadwick, S. (2014). Impacts of cyberbullying, building social and emotional resilience in

schools.

Englander, E. K. (2013). Bullying and cyberbullying: What every educator needs to know.