Social media has such a high impact on today's society. Online social media have gained astounding worldwide growth and popularity which has led to attracting attention from variety of researchers globally. Mobile phones and the internet uses are one of the biggest forms of communication, that plays a important role in our daily activities and development of identities. However, these same technologies are used in a negative way. These issues need to be taken more seriously and have to have more serious consequences. With the expansion of social media, more strict laws should be created and enforced to prevent severe cases of cyberbullying, online predators, and identity theft.
Social media has influenced the way cyberbullying has been viewed. Many do not understand the reasons why people normally think it is okay to act this way over technology. Many claim because of the anonymity behind a screen. Blogs online have become available to read and leave comments to anyone who views (Hernandez 46). This puts the pressure off of the person preforming this action, not have the stress of seeing them the next day. The computer screens have been able to hide the identity of the user and make it a lot easier to make friends and have people hear what you have to say (Social Net. N. pag.). People who are shy and afraid to voice an opinion normally find this way to ease their voice into an idea, without confrontation. Social media has led to conversations held over chat and have people hiding behind the screens for better and worse(Social Net. N.pag.). Hiding behind the screen has now created a two way street for the relationship between users and media. .
Not only the anonymity, but the ignorance of the consequences is another reason why cyberbullying has been increasing. "While teens and parents don't always agree on whether teen sexting is acceptable behavior, and most have no idea it is a crime (Diaz 45).