Cyberstalking is becoming more and more frequent among people of all ages (apart from the youngest). The majority of us are aware of its seriousness and know it is considered a crime that can lead to expensive lawsuits. However, in recent years it has become even more common than face-to-face stalking. Cyberstalking is believed to be one of the current anxieties about the media effects.The question is why? Is the media to blame for the increasing number of online offences? It seems like the media’s effort to enhance awareness by variety of commercials, news, movies, including documentaries, just encourage new stalkers to occur and cause the growth of the ‘cyberbullying business’. In result, instead of helping to protect the audience from cyberbullying in general, the media makes viewers more anxious what leads to continually rising numbers of online stalking contraventions.
For the purpose of this blog post by cyberstalking, which is a part of cyberbullying, I mean the use of the Internet, e-mail, or other electronic communications devices to stalk another person. Cyberbullying involves using the Internet to threaten, harass, or intimidate someone against their will. Just because it does not include physical contact with the perpetrator does not mean it can be ignored. The problem is it is not always easy to tell whether the crime was actually committed and is hard to find potential offenders. In other words, it is hard to furnish indispensable evidence. Nonetheless, there is a number of things we can do to protect ourselves. Paradoxically the Internet provides us with heaps of information, tips and pieces of advice when we are in danger of cyberbullying, especially when considering the emerging social media platforms.
The statistics complied by nobulling.com show that in 2014 55% of those who were bullied (45%) have experienced cyberbullying. As for The Ditch Label annual cyber bullying survey of 2014 (over 10 000 young people were surveyed) and it was reported that 7 in 10 young people are victims of cyberbullying. What has changed over the past few years is that males and females are equally at risk of cyberbullying and becoming cyber bullies these days. According to the survey Facebook (top place: 54% out of 75% surveyed Facebook users) , YouTube (21% out of 66% reported being cyberbullied) and Twitter (28% out of 43%) found to be the most likely sources of cyberbullying.
Technology opens our lives up in ways that were not possible even less than a decade ago. Cyberstalking or cyberbullying in general are relatively new problems, having evolved with the mass media culture and the Internet. Unfortunately, everything has its positive and negative consequences and there is no one, specific medium to blame. It is the viewers’ fault that the numbers are constantly increasing. We should take a closer look at social factors that are one of the most important issues while talking about cyberbullying. We cannot stop the development of digital culture. It is up to consumers’ (rather called prosumers these days) common sense if they consider TV commercials, news and movies, including documentaries, as warnings against cyberbullying that will increase our awareness or as acts of violence that ‘cultivate’ aggression in society (Cultivation Theory, George Gerbner).
Communications and Convergent Media 
