Name: Lauren Agustin

Date: 3/2/14

Instructor: Ms. Tara Andrews

Course: SOCL 101

Proposed Topic: Cyberbullying

Definition of the Problem:

This topic was chosen because nowadays, the Internet has been our daily need. Ever since social networking started, more and more people are getting involved with the use of Internet. Between cellphones, social networking sites and online gaming, today's youth have more outlets for interacting with each other virtually than they do for interacting with each other in person. However, with all of the good social interaction that is done using these technological advances also comes the bad. In addition to the physical and verbal bullying that may take place at school, one unfortunate issue that society is strongly facing is Cyberbullying, also referred to as "electronic bullying." Both can be defined as "An aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself" (Smith et al., 2008).

This topic is relevant because cyberbullying is a growing menace in today's society, especially among teenagers. Cyberbullying can be detrimental to a person’s mental and physical health. The victims of cyberbullying can experience social isolation, fear and feel unsafe. It can lead to emotional and physical harm, feelings of shame and anxiety, low or loss of self-esteem, concentration and learning difficulties. There have also been incidents where people, especially teenagers, have committed suicide.

Review of Related Literature:

Cyberbullying is a category of bullying that occurs in the digital realm/medium of electronic text (Wong-Lo & Bullock, 2011). Wong-Lo (2009) cautions while a universal definition may be a useful tool for researchers, results suggest that it does not necessarily yield a