Speaking Outline

ELIJAH LUI

Preventing Cyberbullying

General Purpose: To persuade

Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to understand and confront the growing problem of cyberbullying.

Thesis Statement: I’m here today to confront the growing problem of cyberbullying experienced by Tyler Clementi and so many others.

Introduction

  1. Attention Getter: Relate tragic stories of cyberbullying.
    1. 9/22/10: Rutgers U freshman Tyler Clementi (TC) updates Facebook (FB) “Jumping off gw [George Washington] Bridge sorry.” He does. (Forderaro, NYT, Sept. 29, 2010)
    2. TC’s roommate convicted of invasion of privacy. Used webcam to transmit private images. Clementi’s roommate sentenced to 30 days in jail, 3 years of probation, 300 hours community service, and $11,000 in restitution. (Hayes, CNN, May 21, 2012)
    3. 12-year-old, Rebecca Sedwick (RS), commits suicide after Facebook tormenting. (Martinez, CNN, Oct. 28, 2013)
    4. 17-year-old Canadian high school student, Rehtaeh Parsons (RP), hangs herself after photos of her sexual assault distributed by alleged attackers.
  2. What is going on here? Cyberbullying (CB)
  3. Introduce self.
  4. Will discuss forms and scope of CB; staying safe from and responding to CB.

Body

  1. Forms of CB
    1. “Willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” (CB Research Center)
    2. Posting/sending harassing messages via Web sites, blogs, texts
    3. Posting embarrassing photos w/o permission
    4. Recording/videotaping someone and sharing w/o permission
    5. Creating fake Web sites/profiles to humiliate

Transition: Recent CB research paints a chilling picture.

  1. Scope of CB
    1. 2011 study by Hani Morgan, University of Southern Mississippi: 42% of teens experienced CB.
    2. 2012 study by Allison Schenk and William Fremouw (Journal of School Violence)
      1. Nearly 9% of college students experience CB
      2. Probably 2 or 3 of you have too
    3. Consequences of CB
      1. As in the cases of Tyler, Rebecca, and Rehtaeh, CB can lead to suicide
      2. In others, symptoms include depression, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating

Transition: CB is a dangerous evolution of face-to-face bullying. You can protect yourself, though.

  1. Steps for staying safe from CB
    1. Safeguard personal information (school IT office).
      1. Never leave laptop unattended.
      2. Keep passwords and SSN private.
      3. Use privacy settings.
      4. Post photos with caution.
    2. Be a voice against CB.
      1. Don’t Stand By, Stand Up! (formed in honor of TC on FB): bullies don’t succeed without help.
      2. Don’t pass on CB messages and inform the senders that their messages are offensive/stupid. (National Crime Prevention Council)

Transition: You may still become a CB victim.

  1. Responding to CB: use “stop, block, tell.” (Parry Afrlab, July 28, 2009, Frontline interview)
    1. Stop: take 5, cool down, walk, breathe deeply.
    2. Block: prevent communication—remove bully from social networking lists and block cell #.
    3. Tell: campus security, counselor, etc. Children tell parent, teacher, principal.

Transition/Internal Summary: We’ve seen CB’s negative impact and discussed countering CB (privacy, speak out, “stop, block, tell”).

Conclusion

  1. CB is not someone else’s problem.
  2. Call to action: make a personal commitment to combat CB.
    1. Refuse to be silent.
    2. Never pass along CB messages.
    3. Voice your concerns at the campus and community levels.
  3. Don’t forget TC and other CB victims. Your loved one could be next.

BACK TO

Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize-Winning Wish

image At the beginning of this chapter, we discussed celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s TED speech, in which he presented his wish to educate children about food (Oliver, 2010). Let’s consider his speech in light of what we’ve learned in this chapter.