loriDrew

Sean McMakin I agree with what the author said. Technology isn't the only thing to be blamed here. Bullying is hardly anything new, we are just seeing it in a new form. The reason its so hard to attach laws to the internet is because the internet is so rapidly changing. They could create a whole slew of legislation for Myspace only to have it go out the window, when everyone migrates to a new social networking site a year later.

Karen H.

Bullying in any form is intolerable. The mother who encouraged her daughter to bully the young girl should be made to visit the grave of that girl everyday!! I am a believer in free speech and I know people can be cruel but this was done with such malice that I feel sick when I think about this awful use of the internet. There are two sides to being a parent: one that wants to protect and one that wants to teach. This mothers parenting skills were so out of wack to participate and perpetuate this behavior knowing the possible ramifications and consequences. I understand why she was acquitted, we have the right to say what we wish, but I still really want to smack that women in the face or maybe better yet would be to create a facebook and myspace page with incriminating information that would cause her to loose her job, have her child taken away, make her feel that everyone was making fun of her would be an appropriate punishment!

Aula S

I remember reading about Megan Meier in articles and seeing her story on the news. It was such a tragic event. One thing that I do remember the media reinforcing the idea that Myspace had the primary role in this emotional abuse. Megan Meiers, minor, was maliciously emotionally abused by an adult. Lori Drews was the only element in this colossal formula that is responsible for what occured. Another thing that i completely agree with the author that. We should begin to use the internet and modern technology to our advantage rather than complain about the possible effects that it is having on our generation and children. The generation of technological advancements is here there is nothing we can do to rewind and alter that. So why not work with what we have, build outlets for children to vent and online hotlines to help these kids cope with their life dilemmas. Help kids deal with the emotional, physical and sexual abuse that they are face with. Like the author mentioned adults deal with bullying on a daily basis but because there is more of an experience level on this, its easier to cope with the bullying. That is why I feel that as adults we should reach our hand out and help these kids in need, its definitely not something that will disappear tomorrow or maybe ever; but it is definitely something we can make easier on one child.

James Le

I've witnessed people placing blame on the medium time and time again. I would have to agree with the author. We should be blaming ourselves for not realizing where the core of the problem lies. Be it the victim or those surrounding them. For example, we all have heard video games being blamed for violence, crimes, and so forth. This case with Lori Drew is no different. We have already embraced the internet and should know the pros and cons that it returns. Some children who can't express themselves in their daily lives turn to the internet for help. This help can be in the form of many things, good or bad. Either way, they are seeking feedback from the online community. Using the internet to our advantage we can observe or notice these "cries" for help and take the best possible action for them. Compared to what you can see in "real life", there is the higher possibility to a deeper view on the internet. Since there are many places for one to express themselves, a watchful eye can pick up quite a few things. Even if it is someone you don't know, one helpful word could be a significant impact to them. Also it's a good idea to keep yourself or others in check. Going too far in a topic and offending someone, be it a joke or not, can leave a psychological mark or even a scar on them. Just like how Lori Drew didn't keep herself in check, things escalated to the point where it was too late. Of course, I'm not implying that Lori Drew deserves all the blame. It's just that as an adult with experience and knowledge, I feel as though she would have the most control in her actions.

Wendy Lohr

Bullying.....what a horrible concept that exists in society. I believe the author hit the nail on the head when she stated "Bullying has probably not increased because of the Internet, but it's visibility to adults definitely has." - p. 103 Before the Internet became such a mainstream use in most households, the concept, and subsequent practice, of bullying was confined to the physical world. And that physical world typically translated to schools, where parents truly had no idea what was going on with their children. A child might come home crying or mad and explain that "Billy picked on me" or "Sally called me names" but would not necessarily tell their parents what they did in return to retaliate for being bullied, if they did anything. So, parents would get one side of the story only and the usual course of action was to either believe the child and console them, or if the child was actually hurt in some way that was visible, the parents of the child would contact teachers, principals, or the other childs' parents to try and find out what was going on.

Now that the Internet has become such an integral part of our daily lives, bullying has been moved to that medium as well. Only this time, parents are much more aware of it and can see in black and white what is really going on. If a person writes something cruel or malicious to a child online and, as the author pointed out, the child usually knows who that person is, then the child will typically respond or retaliate back in some way. Parents can see this and realize that even though "Billy" may have started it, their own child responded back with something equal or worse than what "Billy" said. This is when the parent, as a knowlegdeable adult, needs to step in and put a stop to the interactions before they escalate, teaching their child the correct way to handle a situation where they are being bullied. Lori Drew did not do that and her actions resulted in the suicide death of a teenage girl.