Divina D. Viloria
Administrative Assistant II
Safety place comes in all forms and shapes- whether in families, friends or places. It often represents comfort and reassurance, draws a line between vulnerability and the persona being used
in other peopie anri tiie place tire-v came irome to aiter a rough <iay. ISut wanxth comes r,vith the
coldness, similar to how life wasn’t rainbows and unicoms.
In today’s society- it is not difficult to find someone to prey on, especially since an identity
is easily faked, and boundaries are blured. Predators online are braver and more courageous, ard
everyone is vulnerable to r,vords being posted online. Cyberbullying is not new in one’s ears, it is
happening almost every day, to anyone, anywhere, and at any \yay. Younger generations curently
tend to embrace the use of social rnedia, especially in the middle of pandernic rvhere close contact
is limited, and it is proved that cyberbullying is more harrnflrl than other types of violence because
a negative post or cornment can reach a limitless number of users. Imagine being at the receiving
end of insults and degrading comments in the intemet, and to think that most users are on a stage
of life r.vhere they develop their own personality does not make it any better.
In the Philippines, many students are observed to being exposed to dangers of the modenr
technolog-v and rnany young people being obsessed with having a great image being portrayed
online where hundreds and thousands of people, not only locally but also internationally, can vierv
and comment on. Many peopie were iucky enough to be recogrrizeci and be given a piatfon’n tirat
they do deserved, but most were famous by all the negative reasons- definitely not the wali one
would want to be recognized. All of it were a result of comments and opinions of netizens, both
tlre positive and the negatives.
It is so easy to type out letters and fonn phrases that could cut like a knife, and that is
something that one u,ould often see in social rnedia whatever platform one Llses. Some criticisms
are obviously mean but tliere is a fine line between the two. While other criticisms are constructive
in nature and are delivered in a nice way. Cyberbullying in this sense is full of hatred and emotion
that oflen but not limited on targeting cefiain behavior or insecurities. Comments were rnade to
target netizens that are vulnerable, and rnost of tlre tirne it wasn’t the victim’s side that mclst people
will be on. There are ways to avoid being targeted by cyberbullies that will help to provide another
layer of safety and comfort in using social rnedia platfonns. Firstly, one must avoid sharing
personal information such as fulI narne, addresses or any information that could potentially be used
against him/lier. One will never know rvho view’s his,&er profile and what other people would do
with the infonnation lie/she posted. Also, one must avoid responding or retaliating on negative
comments. The reaction is one factor to raise the confidence of a bully and it rnakes tliem powerful
over one persorl. If someone was constantly rude to other person, he/she must know that it is not
hislher fault. He/she rnust save and keep evidences of the situation and seek for lielp especially if
helsl:e is uncomfortable, see if there is someone who can listen and process the situation with
another perspective. Lastl,v, if someone knows that a person is being bullied, take action. It may
be in a form of listening attentively for the victim’s perspective and observing the whole situation,
consider reporting the bullying and supporting the person being bullied. A victim rvor’t always be
open about r,r’hat is happening and if he/she happens to talk about it with other people then tlrat
someone is lucky, Signs rnay appear on a person like avoiding a particular topic to talk about or
changing his,{rer beliavior differently.
It is to note that youth today are aware of preventing cyberbullying. They are now aware if
the comments on social media are rnean and intimidating especially those comrnents about sotneone’s gender, race and sexual orientation. Turning off their phones or laptops for a while
wiren seeing something upsetting is one of their r,vays of stepping away from cyberbullying.
In situations like this, it is irnportant that people spread the message that every victim is
not to be judged and is protected by the law. They tend to do all the talking, but it often has no
action. Given all these, they can stafi by promoting a safe environment online for everyone,
especially for sfudents, since new normal requires the constant use of devices and social media
platforms. Everyone must remember especially the parents/guardians that they should stand by the
sal”ety and the education they provide for the filture generations, and what the children learned
today will be used for tomorrow. ln the rniddle of pandemic, parents/guardians must put a prem irurr
in ptoviding tlteir children with a safe environment where they can learn and develop their own
selves.