490 Part 4 Public Speaking
As you can imagine from the heartbreaking story I’ve shared about
Tyler Clementi, cyberbullying poses serious mental health risks to the
nation’s children, teens, and young adults. The Cyberbullying Research
Center, a leading resource on the topic, defines cyberbullying as “willful
and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones,
and other electronic devices.” • Cyberbullying can take many forms,
including posting or sending harassing messages via Web sites, blogs, or
text messages; posting embarrassing or private photos of someone with-
out their permission; recording or videotaping someone and sharing it
without permission; and creating fake Web sites or social networking
profiles in someone else’s name to humiliate them. Often these acts are
done anonymously.
Recent research paints a chilling picture of the frequency and harm
of electronic harassment. According to Hani Morgan, an education
professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, the statistics vary
widely, but a 2011 report by the National Crime Prevention Council
found that 43 percent of teens had been the victims of cyberbullying
in the last year. Although most of the research to date has focused on
cyberbullying among middle school and high school students, a 2012
study published in the Journal of School Violence confirmed that the
problem of electronic harassment continues into college. Psychologists
Allison Schenk and William Fremouw found that nearly 9 percent of
university students had experienced cyberbullying; that means that at
least two or three people listening to this speech know what I’m de-
scribing because they’ve felt it. As we have seen with Tyler, Rebecca,
Rehtaeh, and too many others, cyberbullying has tragically cut short
promising lives. But consequences less dramatic than suicide take a
serious toll on cyberbullying’s victims. The same study by Schenk and
Fremouw reported more symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as
difficulty concentrating, among bullied college students. •
As Professor Morgan explains, the ano-
nymity of unsigned messages and fake user
names marks cyberbullying as a dangerous
evolution of a long-standing face-to-face bully-
ing problem, but you can take steps to protect
yourself. • For one, you can be vigilant about
safeguarding your personal information. Our
school’s information technology office lists the
following advice on its Web site. First, never,
ever, leave your laptops unattended. Second, keep your account pass-
words and Social Security numbers completely private. Third, use the
most secure privacy settings on your social networking sites. Finally,
think carefully about the types of pictures of yourself and your friends
that you post online, and restrict views of them to “friends only.” Each
of these steps can minimize opportunities for bullies to harm or embar-
rass you in some way.
In addition to zealously guarding your personal information, you
can help combat cyberbullying by being a voice against it whenever you
- Elijah effectively puts his
research to work throughout
this section, making sure to give
credit to his reputable sources.
- Elijah effectively transitions to
offering solutions and practical
steps avoid cyberbullying.
- Elijah qualifies his source and
demonstrates its credibility.
- Elijah begins the body of his
speech by ensuring that his
audience knows what cyberbul-
lying means.
Elijah uses strong eye contact
to project confidence.
