A Change of Idea - Cyber-Bullying: Amanda Todd

I am always up-to-date on the news and current affairs going on in the world through my regular use of sites such as the Daily Mail, The Independent and Sky News. It was when I was reading through the news feed on the Independent that I came across a chilling story about cyber-bullying. Amanda Todd was a fifteen year old girl from Canada who had fallen victim to cyber-bullies. In an attempt to drive the bullies away Amanda created a YouTube video explaining how all this victimization made her feel and asking for it to stop. The video had the opposite affect as it just supplied more fuel for the bullies. A week after Amanda uploaded this video she decided life was not worth living and committed suicide. The video has now been watched by hundreds of thousands and this story has shocked so many people but the problem is this is becoming an increasing problem. More and more children are choosing to die in order to escape the bullies.

One of the reasons for this increase is the use of social networks for communication. By using social networks people feel like they can hide behind them, it gives them the opportunity to say what they would not have the courage to say in person. For Amanda YouTube gave her a platform to cry for help but devastatingly it was social networks that had caused the problem by providing a way for the bullies to target her in the first place. This ties in with a point mentioned in one of my previous posts on the film The Social Network, the fact that what is written on-line cannot be erased as such, even when you delete something it becomes archived. More than that though the effects of what has been said are what can never go away, can never be taken back. For Amanda the nasty words of these individuals haunted her until the day she died, because a great deal of bullying takes place on-line the comments are there for all to see, for anyone to add to. It is a tool used by cowards, without the provision of social networks many would never begin to say the things they have in person.

After reading about Amanda I have decided to change the narrative and theme of my animation. I will now focus my animation on the psychological effects these on-line networks have on the individual, both emotionally and socially. Just like Amanda my main character will be a young girl which seems to enhance her vulnerability. I will show how she becomes a target for the cyber-bullies and then I will show the effects this has on her and the turmoil she suffers.I want to show her inner most thoughts and struggles so I plan to create a few almost fantasy scenes which represent her mind.