According to Walsh(2006), most of the texts are multimodal text, and it consists a combination of words, video, images and other visual modes. As he continues, a pattern shift has happened in our society that is we are increasingly showered by multimodal texts. Thus many problems are growing across the whole world with more young people having access to computers, using instant messaging (example: MSN) and more of them having mobile phones. Hence blog is widely used by teenagers as a medium to torment and bullying the internet users. One of the approaches is “cyber-bullying”.
Such unethical blogging methods has resulted a big problem across the world. According to the research “Cyber-bullyinmade by Pew Internet and American Life Project (2007), about 32% of all teenagers who use the internet say they have been targets of a range of annoying and potentially threatening online activities. In addition, these activities include sending blackmails, nude or ugly picture and even death threats.
According to a BBC news article “What can stop cyber-bullying” (2007), cyber-bullying is using communication technology such as internet or a cell phone to send threatening information in order to embarrass, humiliate another person or a group of people. Victims of bullying has fewer places to hide as mobile phones and computers have become the weapons of choice for bullies, (“Cyberbullying”,2007).
Source from MSNBC (2007), "John Halligan shows the Web page devoted too his son, Ryan, at this home in under hill, Vt.Ryan, bullied by classmates for months online, killed himself in 2003."
Tyra Banks's Commitment
Tyra Banks, a celebrity has shown her commitment in the campaign of helping teenagers to prevent cyber-bullying. In her show "the tyra banks show" on the effects and consequence of cyber bullying, which is easy to do because cyber-bullies might be emboldened when using electronic means to carry out their antagonistic agenda since it takes less energy and courage to express hurtful comments using a keypad or a keyboard than with one’s voice.
She says that, “cyber bullying, a deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others, and is done anonymously online. An example of suicide from the cyber bullying is the Megan Meier case.
Source from YouTube
It was shows that (Wikipedia 2008):
* 42 percent of kids have been bullied while online. One in four have had it happen more than once
* 35 percent of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five had had it happen more than once.
* 21 percent of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages.
* 58 percent of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online.
Reference Lists:
Lenhart.A, 2007, “Cyberbullying and Online Teens”, Pew Internet and American Life Project, viewed on 13rd June 2008 at, http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/216/report_display.asp.
“Cyberbullying” 2007, BBC News, viewed on 12 June 2008 at, http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2007/02/20/txtbullying_feature.shtml
“What Can Stop Cyberbullying?” 2007, BBC News, viewed on 13th June 2008 at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7006326.stm
Walsh, M 2006, 'Textual Shifts: Examining The Reading Process With Print, Visual and Multimodal Text', Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 29, no. 1, p. 24-37
Wikipedia, 2008, “Cyber-bullying”, U.S., viewed on 12th June 2008 at,
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