Avoid retaliating or responding
The bully wants to gain power over you and that’s why they send you a provocative message so that you can respond. Avoid retaliating; you don’t want to empower the bully by responding because that’s exactly what they want. Retaliating also turns you into a bully and thus causing a chain reaction. Remove yourself from the confrontation if you can. If you can’t, maybe you should use humor to distract or disarm the bully.
Even if you decide to respond, take a break before responding, this will help reduce your anger and therefore you can avoid giving an answer that is fueled by emotion. You don’t want to regret what you write on social media.
Tell the person to stop.
It is important for the bully to know that you will not tolerate being treated badly. Demand for them to stop. This is a statement you can only make if you’re completely comfortable with yourself.
Protect yourself using tech tools
Many apps like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have options that allow you to block, mute or report social media bullies or people who don’t follow the required guidelines. If you want to avoid the bully permanently, block the person whether he harassed you via comments, texting, an app or tagged photos.
By blocking, reporting or muting the bully you avoid the temptation of responding and you remove the nuisance away from your face. Call the local cops if the bully threatens to physically harm you.
Take screenshots
The best way to record an incidence of cyber bullying is by taking screenshots. This ensures that you save the evidence just in case the bully decides to delete the comment to avoid getting themselves in trouble. This captured image can be shown to the relevant authorities when you’re seeking help or justice for being bullied. For instance, screenshots have been used as evidence when closing accounts of people who were found guilty of racially abusing some European footballers.
Note: if you’re using Snapchat, the other person will receive a notification alerting them that you’ve snapped a screenshot.
Reduce the frequency at which you check posts
It’s common to feel like the bully is right next to you when you’re engaged in a cyber-bullying attack. It feels like the person is choking the life out of you and shouting things at you. But you can avoid this situation by limiting the time you spend on social media. For instance, you can log into Instagram for a few hours a day and switch to another social media platform like twitter. When you do this then you will not feel like you’re constantly being attacked. Also, you can focus on your personal life by taking a break from social media.
Respond when you’re calmer
You are likely to feel calmer after you take a break of one hour. After an hour, you’ll hopefully feel a little calmer. At this stage, you can come back online feeling less angry and more level-headed and therefore you’re in a better position to contact the bully if you want to respond.
Don’t let the person who was bullying you get to you, work out the situation using words that are neural and calm. A calm conversation is the best way to go about it; you might even be surprised that they might not even know that they offended you. Who knows, you might even get an apology.
AUG. 2012
