Cyberbullying in Digital Era: History, Trends, Limitations, Recommended Solutions for Future

The digital and virtual world has taken a toll on the lives of the vast majority of the population across the globe. Even though it has resulted in numerous technological advancements and has enhanced the scope of socialising and staying connected with people from different parts of the earth, it has a variety of drawbacks and negative aspects which seem to dwindle the affected person both physically and mentally. One such adversity is the reality of cyberbullying, which millions of people who extensively use digital platforms and social media are exposed to. Cyberbullying is a very broad field of adversity and pressing concern in the twenty-first century, especially since it’s the digital era. Cyberbullying occurs in varied forms and affects people in numerous ways with different intensities. It includes cracking into an individual’s profile, posting unnecessary comments to defame people, malicious use of social media platforms, etc. Techniques and algorithms to bring a halt to cyberbullying are one of the primary areas researchers and programmers need to focus on. In the earlier stages of the digital era, cyberbullying was considered to be an event of the occurrence of a mishap due to peer pressure. As virtual platforms evolved massively, cyberbullying has taken the spotlight resulting in the harassment of naive individuals. The fact that there’s an absence of face-to-face confrontation has complemented the cruel aims and deeds of cyberbullies. Cyberbullies have initiated the use of technology in the disguise of a weapon to humiliate and hamper the growth and success of people out there. Another trend that has been closely observed is the conversion transition and huge jump from physical bullying to cyberbullying wherein, social media and similar digital tenets which were meant to play a positive role in the lives of people started amplifying the negativities of virtual bullying. This chapter talks about how cyberbullying has evolved over the decades, the limitations and drawbacks of cyberbullying, and solutions and methodologies to prevent this mishap.