The Internet Empowers 'Weak Tyrants'

CHICAGO, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent spate of cyber-bullying-related suicides may be more surprising to parents and school faculty than to young people, who live on the internet frontlines every day. New data from a soon-to-be-released survey reveal more teens call bullying a problem in their communities than complain about drugs, poor parenting, crime, racism, the economy, or any other major issue.

The TRU Study: 2011, a nationally representative survey of teens and twenty-somethings conducted by youth-market research firm TRU, addresses bullying and internet safety. The Study is scheduled for release on Oct. 13.  

Overall, 64% of teens say bullying is a problem in their own schools and communities. The ubiquity of social media has turned what was once a community issue into one of worldwide scope. More than half of teens (52%) know someone their age who has been the target of hateful or hurtful electronic communication, while three in 10 (29%) admit to having suffered such intimidation themselves.

TRU VP of Custom Research Peter Picard explains that the internet sanitizes bullies from real-world confrontation, effectively encouraging their worst behavior. "Weak people, provided the illusion of power, are the most dangerous tyrants," Picard explains.

From Rhode Island to California, young people have suffered an alarming series of harassment-induced suicides in the past few weeks. Most recently, a combination of homophobia and internet-based privacy invasion appeared to lead to the death of 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi. Homophobia remains an urgent concern to this cohort: more than half of teens and twenty-somethings (52%) call it a big issue in their communities. Half of young people Clementi's age also worry about safety on the internet, and that percentage leaps to 59% among 27- to 29-year-olds.

"Bullying, in one form or another, has been with us forever," says Picard. "But the old image of a menacing crowd cornering a vulnerable victim behind the gym doesn't really capture the essence of modern bullying."

"Think of a networked army of anonymous mean spirits — armed with webcams, iPhones, and Twitter accounts — who subscribe to the theory, 'no blood, no foul,'" he continues. "They're perfectly content to deliver virtual blows that appear to leave no bruise. Unfortunately, today's attacks leave a much more harmful mark than that of yesterday's locker-room harassment — one that the whole world can see."

About TRU

Data from the forthcoming TRU Study: 2011 is based on responses from more than 4,000 nationally representative U.S. teens and twenty-somethings ages 12 to 29. TRU is the global leader in youth research, having surveyed more than two million tweens, teens, and twenty-somethings worldwide. TRU is part of TNS, the world's largest custom-research firm, as well as a subsidiary of Kantar (the insights and consultancy arm of WPP). More information at http://www.tru-insight.com.

SOURCE TRU