The incidence of Cyberbullying in Facebook is getting increasingly alarming, and the bullies seem to get crueler and crueler. It’s almost like the landscape of the whole bully/victim culture has changed. The stereotype of the big knucklehead stealing lunch money from a wiry kid has been replaced by an image of a mean-spirited kid hiding behind a laptop, tap-tapping away on his or her keyboard. Nowadays, you don’t need muscles to be a bully; all you need is access to a social network – and Facebook is the most likely medium. This is why that it’s only right that Facebook, along with Time Warner, has launched a campaign called “Stop Bullying: Speak up”

The campaign will be run on multiple platforms, including print, broadcast, and of course, social media. The alliance aims to create an application that will raise awareness among people, especially parents, students and teachers, about the issue of cyberbullying. They will be creating an interactive application that urges people to make a solid commitment to stop cyberbullying, and they will be allowed to invite others to join the cause. It’s a pledge application that encourages commitment and a feeling of responsibility.

On Facebook’s part, there will be enhancements made to the Social Report Tool, which is mainly used to report incident wherein a picture or a post has been abusive in any way. The tool also allows users to block the bully from entering the victim’s page. Moreover, potential victims can already take the first step and block the bully before anything happens.

Time Warner, on its end, will create a program on Cartoon Network that urges teens to “Speak Up” when they see a case of bullying. Cartoon Network, as the name implies, is a TV channel that runs cartoons and is rather popular among children and teens. By using it, Time Warner ensures that their message will be transmitted to the demographic that needs it the most. This actually touches upon the root of the issue. Bullying occurs only because people allow it to. Most people just stand by and watch when someone gets bullied, usually for fear of becoming victims themselves. The campaign asks these people who are usually passive in the face of abuse to “Speak Up” in order to stop bullying. Bullies are only brave when there is nobody trying to stop them. If people would only present a united front against this horrible act, then bullying will surely be stopped.