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Definitions

Sexting

The term sexting describes the transmission of pictures / photos on which one's own body or the representation of another is to be seen in erotic poses or with free sexual representations. These photos are usually shared via mobile phone or laptop in social networks. These pictures are then first photographed privately and then made accessible to others for different reasons. E.g. It can be viewed as a special "proof of love" when sending erotic images to the partner.

These images should enhance their own person or convey the impression of sexual maturity. The young people forget the fact that they have no control over who can view the pictures. And that images that circulate in the social networks can not be completely deleted. That leads to dramatic effects, as the young people's personal embarrassment limits are being violated over and over again.

Posing

Children and young people show themselves in social networks in provocative, often sexually attractive poses. They present themselves with photos, films and contributions, with the aim of being particularly attractive and (sexually) more mature. In addition to the "classical" means such as makeup and clothing, they often also use technical tools (photo processing programs, musical background, etc.).

Grooming

Also cyber-grooming (translated: meaning Internet-initiation).

The term is used to describe the targeted response of persons-with the aim of starting a sexual contact. Frequently children and adolescents are particularly affected. Initially, trust is often set up unsuspectingly, in order to make contact. In doing so, adults use false names, age indications, and other false personal information to gain the trust of children and adolescents. It is a special form of sexual harassment, which can often be followed by criminal offenses such as child pornography and sexual abuse.

Happy Slapping

Started as a leisure-time fun among British teenagers, does not necessarily have to be associated with Cybermobbing, but is often used together. Today, happy slapping is summarized as physical attacks against unknown passers-by or classmates, more rarely also teachers, which are filmed and publicly made accessible in internet portals. The attacks extend to the point of beating up to unconsciousness or rape of the victim. In the school context, psychological and verbal forms of happy slappings are particularly significant and show an ever-increasing normalization. Happy slapping is actually a connection between classic bullying with cyber mobbing. The victim must also fight with shame and humiliation in addition to the violence experienced. In this type of Cybermobbing, prosecution is usually easy, because the perpetrators produce and make burdensome evidence of their own.

Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking is a continuous persecution of a person in the virtual space. Often, it is associated with harassment and threats using the Internet. Stalking / cyber stalking is a criminal offense in many countries

Cyberstalking comes in different forms:

  • Sending spam e-mails, viruses
  • Repetitive harassment by anonymous phone calls, unwanted messages, messages via chat
  • Spying on social networks
  • Contact with friends and relatives of the person concerned via internet, messages, etc.
  • Publication of websites with pictures and personal data of the victim

The causes and motives are just as different - from unfulfilled love, to envy, to strong negative emotions, e.g. Hate. The stalker is often a person known to the victim: the ex-partner, a revered admirer, a work colleague or a friend. But it can also be a stranger.

Denigration

Denigration is the intended spread of evil rumors about the victim. If the modern media are used, e.g. the Internet or other electronic means of communication, behavior is considered a form of Cybermobbing. This includes dissemination of false, vulgar and cruel news, or photos / videos, sending or posting false or offensive statements and slandering about a person on social networks. The target of the offender is usually to damage the victim's reputation to destroy friendships and relationships of the victim. Possible motifs include e.g. jealousy, revenge on the ex-partner, etc.. Studies show that this form of Cybermobbing is mainly found in girls.

In this context, psychologists point out the so-called online disinhibition effect. In the anonymity of the Internet, the perpetrator does not have to look into the victim's eyes, a direct feedback for his own behavior remains (first) and subsequently also the consciousness and feeling for the possible extent and the quality of the violation of the affected persons. It is therefore easier to express untruths or spread negative things about other people when the contact takes place over the Internet. If a child becomes a victim of betraying by fellow pupils, the child also suffers after coming home, because the attacks are neither temporally or locally limited. In addition, it is hard to fight against it because the untruths in the Internet are spread extremely fast, after a short time it becomes impossible to delete all slander from social networks.

Outing

Outing and Trickery is a method of misconduct, which happens with the presetting of false facts. Perpetrators use the trust of the victim and pretend private communication. If they get enough confidence, intimate details about the victim are published, such as emails, written conversations, or private pictures. The publication of the confidential information can only be embarrassing in the best case, but it becomes serious if they also lead to more serious consequences. For example, negative statements about important persons such as superiors could penetrate to the outside, or their own homosexuality or private details could be outed.

Flaming

The term flaming describes all kinds of insults, abuse or provocative statements that take place in public areas of the Internet such as forums or chat rooms. Often, these attacks are directed at no one specifically, but are aimed at someone who responds to them and perhaps rebounds them. This can create so-called Flame Wars, in which the actual topic of a discussion is forgotten and only unconstructive contributions are brought. It can be a case of Cybermobbing, whenever people are reacting to flaming contributions, or ignoring the amounts under the flaming. It is important that an audience exists theoretically in the form of other readers. In this way, the perpetrators feel refreshed in their behavior, even if feedback is absent or no one reads the contributions. Flaming is felt in most forums as bad habits and the moderators usually with a warning punished. Flaming can spread rapidly in certain forums, which are only weak moderated, and burden the otherwise subject-related conversation atmosphere.

Especially in the game scene, Flaming or Flame Wars are often also on an ironic-humorous level. This is partly made clear by the addition of smileys or emojis, but even without these additions on many servers is not perceived as a direct disruption, but as a common phrase is hardly noticed.

Exclusion

Exclusion is the exclusion of individuals from a group. It is not important whether it is a group in the real world (at school, sports clubs, or friends groups) or a group in social networks or in onlinegames (eg instant messenger groups, game areas, Facebook groups , Whats App Groups). A person is intentionally excluded or not included in an "internal" area. Often there is exclusion from contacts in social networks and ignoring in communication in chats and forums. It is often the case that the "popular" classmates convince the others not to communicate with the less popular classmates. ( online or face to face).

Group membership belongs to the social needs of every human being. And the relationships cultivated on the Internet become more and more important for today's children and young people, even more important than their real interpersonal relations. The exclusion from a group is particularly difficult for young people to bear and particularly painful.

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