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Cyberbulling and harassment can take several different forms and students, families, and educators need to know how to recognize each of them. Some learners may not even realize they are experiencing cyberbullying at first given that it can start subtly and ramp up over time. Below are some of the more common types of cyberbullying and what each looks like.
Dissing
When students or other people in an individual’s life try to harm their relationships or reputations, it’s known as dissing. This type of bullying is usually done by someone who knows the person they are looking to hurt, and they try to use personal information in their attacks.
Catfishing
Catfishing happens when an internet bully creates a fake profile, email, or other online presence in an attempt to fool another person. As with dissing, catfishing usually happens between two people who know each other.
Excluding
Deliberately not inviting someone or leaving them out is classified as excluding. While this frequently happens offline, it can occur in online settings as well. Students may not get an invitation to online groups or videoconferencing or may be left out of group text or message threads.
Harassing
Harassing often serves as an umbrella term for the many different types of cyberbullying in use today. If someone talks about being harassed, they usually mean that they have been the victim of some type of harmful or hurtful online behavior, including any of those listed in this section.
Doxing
Also known as “dropping docs,” this type of harassment takes place when an internet bully publishes personal information that can harm another person, such as their address and phone number, personal communication, sensitive photographs, or details about their family. The intention is to embarrass, extort, or intimidate the person being doxed.
Cyberstalking
This often-scary type of bullying happens when a cyberbully purposefully tracks or follows someone to the point of making them uncomfortable or fearful. Individuals may experience anxiety, pain, or emotional distress and fear for their safety at times. Some people who engage in cyberstalking due so out of an obsession with someone else, while others look to steal their identity. When taken too far, cyberstalking can have legal consequences.
Trolling
Trolling is typically done by someone who wants to gain attention, cause harm, or stir up trouble by posting inflammatory comments. Trolling often takes the form of controversial or demeaning comments on social media posts, sometimes under the guise of being helpful. For instance, someone might comment on a student’s weight but frame it as trying to help them be healthy.
Swatting
While the actual act of swatting does not happen online, it’s often the direct result of what started as online bullying and progressed. Swatting also shows the dangers of how cyberbullying can cross into your offline existence easily. Swatting happens when someone calls the police or another law enforcement agency and creates a false narrative about threatening or scary behavior happening at another person’s home. The goal is to get a SWAT team to show up at their place of residence.
Fraping
When someone uses your social media account or email to post or send things that did not come from you, this is known as fraping. This act can sometimes be harmless (think when someone uses your account to post that they’re your best friend, etc.) but can turn into bullying if the person posts hurtful, mean, or inappropriate content that looks like it came from the individual they seek to harm or embarrass.
Tricking
Trickery often relates to doxing but has the added element of the bully getting close to the person before causing harm. Tricking bullies often try to befriend their target to get more personal details or information out of them before making it public in harmful or scary ways.
Flaming
Flaming takes place when an online bully directly seeks to insult or be mean to another person. It can involve sending text messages, emails, or direct messages to another person filled with disparaging words. While usually done in private, the goal of flaming is often to start a more public online fight and bring others into it.
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