Who are we? The team behind "Be a friendly netizen" campaign.
We are ordinary students whose lives revolve around school, work, and play.
We are FLEX!
We are Media and Communications students in Singapore Polytechnic.
Why did we set up this blog?
We are youthful. We are FLEX, a Fun-Loving and Enthusiastic group of youths who aim to X out cyberbullying!
We want to make a difference in the cyberworld, no matter how small the difference may be.
Because we want to encourage youths to become friendly netizens.
We'll be focusing on 2 areas of cyberbullying - the blog and video streaming sites, which explains the existence of this blog.
And for this campaign, this blog is set up by youths, specially for youths!
Objectives
• To create awareness about the seriousness of cyberbullying
• To spread the information on the ways to respond to cyberbullying, consequences and the causes and effects of cyberbullying.
• To encourage the practice of netiquette.
What is this campaign all about?
This is a campaign tailor-made against cyberbullying, especially in blogs and streaming video websites (click ‘About Cyberbullying’ for more information on where cyberbullying can occur).
It is entitled ‘Be a Friendly Netizen’.
And we define a friendly netizen as someone who:
• Is sensitive towards others’ feelings
• Acts responsibly
• Is conscious of his/her online activities, and
• Avoids hostility.
As technology empowers us, and with ‘great power comes great responsibility’ (quote from our favourite hero: Spiderman), let us pay tribute to hi-tech by playing our part to contribute to a more conducive cyberworld, and this can be achieved by just being a friendly netizen, which is not difficult at all!
How can you support this campaign?
Simple! Just paste the e-badge code below into your blog or any website!
Drop us an
email to notify us when you've included the e-badge into your blog or website!
Are you a victim or bully of cyberbullying? The answer is: it does not matter here.
No matter who you are, what you do or what you have done, everyone is equal in the eyes of FLEX!, for we are citizens of the Internet.
Netizens is what we shall call ourselves.
Just as we remain loyal to our respective countries and respecting individuals’ cultures offline, we should also do the same online – show respect for other netizens’ pride and feelings, show that we can be responsible users of the Internet.
This is everyone’s home on second life. And ‘home’ is what we defined as a place of warmth, harmony, belonging and love.
Let's make the cyberworld a better place. Be a friendly netizen, keep cyberbullying out!
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying occurs when someone puts down victim through the use of info-communication technologies (ICT), thereby causing emotional distress to the victim.
ICT includes mobile phones and the Internet.
Cyberbullying covers a wide spectrum. Actions that constitute cyberbullying ranges from as minute as name-calling and playful teasing to more serious ones like sending threatening messages and uploading offensive videos e.g. physical bullying in schools online. All of which must have caused the victim emotional distress.
Cyberbullying is also a very relative issue. “What may hurt me may not hurt you,” explained it all.
How do you know if you’re cyberbullying someone?
• What you publish (content)
• Who you publish it to
• How you express it
Where can cyberbullying appear?
• Mobile phone - in SMSes
• Internet – Blog comments, social networking sites e.g. Facebook and Friendster, instant messaging (IM) e.g. MSN messenger, in online games, streaming video sites e.g. YouTube.
Effects of cyberbullying
Victims may experience the following:
• Relationship problems
• Loss of self-esteem
• Crying themselves to sleep
• Anxiety
• Loss of sleep or appetite
• Loneliness
• Depression
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Suicide
How to deal with cyberbullying?
Ever gotten upset over a nasty comment someone made about you online?
We understand. We’ve been there, experienced that, and overcame them.
It sure takes guts to stand firm and not be affected by others’ opinions about you especially when you know that what they have published are not true.
Sometimes, you don’t even know who your perpetrators are.
It’s frustrating, isn’t it?
You feel a sense of anguish, don’t you?
Always has the urge to take revenge by bullying them back the same way they did it to you? Forget it!
Being cool and calm is the best way to deal with cyberbullying.
Simply, choose to ignore it. Not responding to it makes you less of an easy target!
If it’s someone whom you thought was a friend but wrote those nasty comments about you online, either talk things out with him/her or find out why he/she did that.
If she intended to hurt you, then its time you make new and positive friends who can help you build up your self-esteem.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Get a sneak peek behind the scenes!
