The Dangers of the Internet
We all think of the internet as a great use for fun...and I suppose for work as well.
But what is terrible is the abuse of the system. You hear many stories of people being fooled over sites like myspace, giving out personal details to people who weren't who they turned out to be.
It's not only this which is a problem. Internet bullying has become a major problem. With the common presence of instant messaging this is becoming worse and more hurtful for the victim.
I would know.
In year seven (I'm in year 10 now) I started high school. No big deal. I had good, solid friends from primary school and my new school was great. Until about a month before my birthday, when my best friend decided I wasn't good enough. She got a boyfriend, skyrocketed to popularity and left me behind.
I knew we were splitting apart, so I just accepted it and tried to remain friends somehow. Until I received particularly nasty emails. I didn't have msn, and I'm not sure if she did either at the time.
The first email I received wasn't too bad. She merely stated that I didn't like her because she got a boyfriend, and that I talked about horses too much. Both of these claims were false. I was insulted that she had chosen to send this via email, instead of speaking to me face to face.
The next email was what topped it all off. An avid user of chatspeak, this girl turned into a horrific person, saying things like: 'if u culdnt be a horsy person when ur olda, u wuld be a slut. ur so desperate, i hate you fuck you fuck you...' etc.
Unfortunately for her, my parents saw the email before I did. They were obviously appalled, printed the email out and took the matter to the school.
The girl stupidly denied it, shifting the blame to someone else. My dad, being quite knowledgeable about computers, tracked down the details of the computer it was sent from, and it was sent from hers.
The school talked to both me and the girl's parents as well as ourselves, but in the end nothing really happened. I haven't talked to the girl since then. She has spread rumours about me, tried to say that I sent the emails to her. Some people believed her, others didn't. I now have awesome friends, who would never do something like that.
But since my experience my friends have received stuff like this as well from other girl groups in my grade at school. And its horrible watching them hurt by these words.
I want it to stop - but until people realise what they are doing to the other person, its not going to happen. It's in fashion to do things like this, rather than talk to the person face to face. This insults me more than anything else.
So please, when you're angry at someone for whatever reason, or don't feel like you get along anymore, please don't do it the wrong way. Talk to them, try and work it out.
But what is terrible is the abuse of the system. You hear many stories of people being fooled over sites like myspace, giving out personal details to people who weren't who they turned out to be.
It's not only this which is a problem. Internet bullying has become a major problem. With the common presence of instant messaging this is becoming worse and more hurtful for the victim.
I would know.
In year seven (I'm in year 10 now) I started high school. No big deal. I had good, solid friends from primary school and my new school was great. Until about a month before my birthday, when my best friend decided I wasn't good enough. She got a boyfriend, skyrocketed to popularity and left me behind.
I knew we were splitting apart, so I just accepted it and tried to remain friends somehow. Until I received particularly nasty emails. I didn't have msn, and I'm not sure if she did either at the time.
The first email I received wasn't too bad. She merely stated that I didn't like her because she got a boyfriend, and that I talked about horses too much. Both of these claims were false. I was insulted that she had chosen to send this via email, instead of speaking to me face to face.
The next email was what topped it all off. An avid user of chatspeak, this girl turned into a horrific person, saying things like: 'if u culdnt be a horsy person when ur olda, u wuld be a slut. ur so desperate, i hate you fuck you fuck you...' etc.
Unfortunately for her, my parents saw the email before I did. They were obviously appalled, printed the email out and took the matter to the school.
The girl stupidly denied it, shifting the blame to someone else. My dad, being quite knowledgeable about computers, tracked down the details of the computer it was sent from, and it was sent from hers.
The school talked to both me and the girl's parents as well as ourselves, but in the end nothing really happened. I haven't talked to the girl since then. She has spread rumours about me, tried to say that I sent the emails to her. Some people believed her, others didn't. I now have awesome friends, who would never do something like that.
But since my experience my friends have received stuff like this as well from other girl groups in my grade at school. And its horrible watching them hurt by these words.
I want it to stop - but until people realise what they are doing to the other person, its not going to happen. It's in fashion to do things like this, rather than talk to the person face to face. This insults me more than anything else.
So please, when you're angry at someone for whatever reason, or don't feel like you get along anymore, please don't do it the wrong way. Talk to them, try and work it out.
Well what happened with the whole parents thing is that they saw the second email before I did - because at the time I didn't have an email with hotmail, I had it with my parents' business domain thingo.
I'm glad they saw it though...somehow it made it easier.
The Brightside., April 27th, 2007 at 02:44:52am
Well personally I think its better that she did it on the internet instead of face to face, that way you can ignore it. I've had those kinds of things happen all throughout my school year, but its a lot better over the interent. But you must be very family orientated, getting your parents into that. I only wish I could be like that, yet I would never trust my parents with something like that. They are only good for cussing out the principal when a unfair rule is passed that subjects out only people like me, or if someone punches me and I punch them back and I am the one getting in trouble.
Yet I know how that must have hurt.
Jessika with a K, April 26th, 2007 at 12:09:48pm
I've fallen out with a couple of my friends.
But it never resulted in the whole internet stuff, this was before i got into the internet, so luckily it all avoided that.
But i've had a couple of girls claim they knew me, said i was a stupid sl*t or something along the lines of it. Said they knew my boyfriend and he loved them and not me, but to keep from getting upset, i said from the start they were pathetic people.
I guess they realised it, and blocked me.
Stef., April 25th, 2007 at 05:06:32am
When me and my best friend had a falling out none of this happened. We just stopped talking to each other. o.o
A couple months ago she apologised to me though - through email - because it's our last year of high school and she didn't want to leave without us being on good terms.
So now it's all good. We're friends again, and things are getting back to how they were. *nods*
..But yes. Internet fighting is wrong.
vonny, April 25th, 2007 at 03:06:00am
Thats true.
People who do things over the net like that are just scared and pathetic people.
adrea, April 25th, 2007 at 01:13:57am
You're right. The internet shouldn't be abused in this way. People get hurt and rumours can be spread. It's horrible. And about people trying to talk face to face.. I agree, but sometimes I can look the other way. I've heard someone say to me that when it comes to talking in some situations "Life is much easier with a keyboard." That's true, and I've experienced it. However, I do see how not being able to communicate in person can be quite pathetic. I hope that stuff like this never happens to me, or any other people as well because like many other problems in society today, it's another thing that may never end.
threeam., April 24th, 2007 at 11:34:54pm
I have never known anyone to be fallen a victim of this, let alone myself, i think its really stupid how someone could do that.
Especially what got sent to you. If they were really pissed off and had a problem with you, they would have said it to your face! I hate it when you get people who cant say something to oyur face, and then deny it all. Its really pathetic.
Vegemite, April 24th, 2007 at 11:18:56pm