7 Common Tricks of the Cyberbully

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Cyberbullying can be bullying of the most devastating kind and for anyone- children, teens and adults alike. This is because attacks are seen by a much wider audience and there’s a high degree of anonymity as cyberbullies are cowards and hide behind fake screen names and profiles to avoid exposure. Here are 7 common tricks they use to cover their own behinds and make you look like the perpetrator.

1. They inbox you with a barrage of insidious messages.
Again, cyberbullies are cowards and fear being detected for the sick creeps they are. So, they use the inbox to unleash their vile attitude onto their victims. Even if you delete the person from your friends list, they can still send messages through the inbox.

2. They will tag you in a post, then claim you’re stalking their page.
This happened to me once. Although this is rather obvious (or should be) to others and used by dumber and maybe drunk cyberbullies, it does happen.

3. They rally their friends to troll your page.
Once you hit the “Block” button, watch for an influx of friend requests from people you don’t know or whom would otherwise never in a million years “friend” you. This almost always happens just after you’ve blocked a cyberbully.

4. They troll the pages of your spouse, family and friends.
Cyberbullies do this to seek and gather information about you and those you’re closest to, which is then used as either ammunition to defame you, make fun of you, or to attack those you love.

5. They create hurtful, degrading and humiliating memes of you.
Cyberbullies do this to intimidate and embarrass you and to bait others to harass you.

6. They have others (or they do it themselves) to insert images of porn and other disgusting materials onto your timeline.
All designed to cause embarrassment.

7. They copy your profile photo and create duplicate and fake profiles in your name, claiming to be you.
They then send requests to all your family, friends and associates, baiting them to accept. Once the requests have been accepted, the cyberbully then sends your associates deplorable messages or tags them and posts flaming or lewd posts to their timelines in hopes of causing friction between you and the people you care about.

And sadly, there isn’t much anyone can do until better technology is introduced to track down these vile bullies and more robust laws are passed against this practice. What worked for me was staying on top of it, blocking many cyberbullies and deleting any incendiary posts as soon as they appeared. By being vigilant, I was able to preserve my good online reputation.

If they are other tricks which have been used against you and that I have left out, please feel free to comment.

Arrival of “Townies, Cronies and Hayseeds”

Townies, Cronies and Hayseeds

I’m very excited to announce that my second novel and first fiction is here! Writing has always been a passion of mine and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to do what I love! I’m forever grateful to those whom believed in me, encouraged me and helped make this possible! Thank you, Mom, Mike, Dustin, Aunt Becky, Brian, Bud, Treyton and everyone who has made a huge difference in my life!

If I’ve overlooked anyone, please allow me to apologize. There are just so many!

Why Bullies Often Bully in Large Groups

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As the old proverb goes, “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups”. This has been true since the dawn of time, as there’s strength in numbers and groups of bullies do often use their numbers to intimidate and disempower their victims. However, there’s another reason I’m sure most haven’t thought about…a reason much deeper than strength or power.

Social science has proved that comradeship is born when two or more people can find something (or someone)they dislike…a common enemy they can all share a passionate dislike for. And if members of the group do not feel they can get solidarity any other way, they will find and/or create an enemy who they can all unite against. Simply put, bullies often bully in groups- singling out and harassing a certain person for purposes of group cohesion…to facilitate comradarie among the other bullies in the group.

Put another way, they use their victim as a vehicle for interaction, ingratiation, bonding among the other members, ensuring group solidarity. Each member takes turns bullying the victim because they know it’s what’s expected of them by the rest of the pack, therefore committing the harassment to ‘fit in’ and getting the reward of group unity at the victim’s expense.

Today, we call this “pack mentality” or “herd mentality”. And sadly, most people will do anything, right or wrong, to follow the rest of the herd.