Social Media Misuses

Social media networking sites have been able to reach a great majority of the people all over the world. This medium of communication and content sharing has undoubtedly improved lives of millions across the globe. Because of social media, people can interact with each other despite the distance from one another. Businesses use social media; by means of integrating into their marketing mix to build brand awareness, generate leads and create advocacy. Employers are now using social media as a tool to aid in job candidate screening. But amidst all the benefits of social media, there are some specific misuses. One of such misuse of social media that is increasingly affecting the lives of innumerable individuals is the utilization of this medium

A federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services defines (as cited in stopbullying.gov, n.d.) cyber-bullying as a type of bullying “that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.” Cutting-edge technology combined with the difficulties in defining cyber-bullying and narrowing down the crime within a certain sphere have helped perpetrators use social media as means of bullying, insulting, and threatening others fearlessly. Findings have shown that approximately one in five students will be cyberbullied (Wright et al., 2009; Hinduja and Patchin, 2010) and about the same ratio of students will cyberbully others (Hinduja and Patchin, 2010); it is estimated that 19% of youth between the ages of 10 and 18 had been either the perpetrator or victim of cyberbullying (Hinduja and Patchin, 2010; Ybarra and Mitchell, 2004). Furthermore, Slonje and Smith (2008) found that 25% of cyberbullies and their victims were identified as being from the same school, thus more likely to result in face-to-face encounters as well. More lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) youth are reported victims of cyberbullying than other "minority" groups (Cassidy et al., 2009). Cyberbullies and cyber victims are generally

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Beasley, Berrin, and Mitchell R. Haney. “The Real Name Requirement and Ethics of Online Identity.” Social Media and the Value of Truth, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD, 2015.

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Aspa. “Report Cyberbullying.” StopBullying.gov, Department of Health and Human Services, 8 Mar. 2012, www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/how-to-report/index.html. Accessed 15 July 2017.

Deschamps, Ryan, and Kathleen McNutt. "Cyberbullying: what's the problem?" Canadian Public Administration, vol. 59, no. 1, 2016, p. 45+. Expanded Academic ASAP, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=EAIM&sw=w&u=edirect_gvrl&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA450037971&asid=1b3d955658e966634224bf3bd8e3d28b. Accessed 15 July