Technology has effectively improved the efficiency of conversation and has provided a new way of communication for people all across the world. Technology’s purpose is to make it easier for people to interact no matter their location. In addition, there are a plethora of social networking sites for people to join such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or even Tumblr. On a college campus, technology is widely used by students for social networking purposes, to finish assignments, and to communicate. However, some people choose to abuse the power and choose to hide behind the computer or the phone screen under the guise of remaining anonymous. Some ways that some people tend to abuse the wonders of technology is by cyber bullying.

It is considered cyber bullying when at least one other person chooses to mock or make fun of another individual. According to dosomething.org, 43 percent of kids have been bullied online and a surprising 70 percent of students have reported seeing bullying online. People tend not to think of the consequences of their actions and do not think about the people who would be affected by such carelessness.

Just recently on the University of Georgia’s campus a student was expelled from the institution for making a bomb threat through the app “Yik Yak”. This app acts as a way for students to post anonymously different thoughts, opinions, and comments. Typically, there is a Yik Yak account for a school and the students of the school choose to become a part of it. The student acted with the belief that the post would remain anonymous but was in for a rude awakening once the police tracked him down and promptly arrested him. This incident that happened on UGA’s campus could have happened anywhere and is not to be taken lightly.

 In fact, cyber bullying has happened on our very own campus. In the spring semester of the 2013-2014 school year, a PC student was falsely accused of making various bomb threats in the city of Clinton. This student was then investigated by the police and had to have several meetings to clear their name. The person was able to clear their name and the person who was actually responsible for the threats was brought in by the police and apologized for their actions. It is important to realize the damage that can be caused by being careless on the internet.

 It is important for students of a college campus and the general population to realize that nothing is truly anonymous once posted in the world of cyberspace. Yes, a specific comment or post would appear anonymous to the other users of the app or website, but if the police needed to, it would be easy to track down the information of the person. If everyone took a moment to reflect on how their post or comment could lead to a negative consequence, then cyber bullying would surely not be as large of an issue as it is today.