Cyber Bullying 5/23

I saw the news that a star of the TERRACE HOUSE has passed away. Someone says that she has committed suicide. It is very sad news. She uploaded some pictures and messages on her social media just before it. I didn’t watched the TV show but I heard some accidents in the show caused cyber bullying. Many anonymous/identified people attacked her, and then, she couldn’t endure it. It is embarrassing that the people who attacked her are deleting their SNS accounts. However, I don’t agree with the people who are spreading the account’s information which were attacking her, either. (They seem to think they are justice.)

I think it is very terrible. People can criticize or attack someone anonymously. We can make the social media accounts without our identifications. Therefore we can easily hide who we are on the internet. We can easily criticize and attack someone else.

There were many bully in schools, offices, apartments, and so on. People get together and some of them are bullied no matter how old they are. I guess it happens anywhere, anytime. I’m afraid that the bullying is one of the human natures. (I don’t want to believe it.) For now, there are risks that we are bullied by someone who we don’t know. The internet enables us to connect easily with other people but it also make bullying others easier. In the real world, we tend to take responsibility for what we say because someone else always see what we do and listen to what we say. On the other hand, in the internet world, we can be anonymous so that we tent to say what we think without considering. If we don’t intend to slander someone, the words we say may slander him/her. It sometimes defames someone, because it can be spreading rapidly on the internet.

I think the SNS companies should restrict the anonymous accounts. Anonymity is very useful and I also have anonymous account (like this note account), but in terms of preventing cyber bullying, we have to show who we are at least. I don’t think it is the prefect solution, but if we have to disclose our own information, we will hesitate to attack others without considering.

Additionally, punishment might work. I know it is very difficult to punish the people attacking someone else. However, the company should think about it. Social media is very useful but it is very dangerous. Some people kill themselves not only in Japan but also other counties. Therefore we have to think about it seriously.

Education is also important. The adults have to think about how to use it and teach younger people as information ethics.