Cyber bullying on Facebook

Maryann Lockington

Cyber-bullying and harassment on Facebook confession pages has caused major concern for the USP community.

Confession pages post confessions and messages sent in by users anonymously on their page wall, which made them popular on Facebook with OMG Fijian USP Confession pages having 3,092 likes.

USP Student’s Association (USPSA) president, Ifereimi Naruma said that the OMG confession pages on Facebook were becoming a problem because it was not monitored.

Naruma said posts that ridiculed people or could hurt others should not be posted.

“Whoever the administrator is, does not censor those pages,” he said.

OMG Fijian USP confessions administrator, did not wish to reveal themselves, said in an e-mail that what was posted on the page did not reflect their own views, but was sent to them by Facebook users.

“This is a page where student can let off some steam anonymously, so if that particular student was harassed than on behalf of the other admins I offer my sincerest apologies,” the email said.

Naruma said that the pages using “USP” in the page name was a misrepresentation of the university. 

“We are addressing it already and we are addressing it in our meetings,” he said.

Naruma said it was understandable that students wanted space to “let off steam” but bullying and harassing people was unacceptable.   He said that he wanted to start an awareness program on the use of social networks and to advocate against abusing them.

Naruma said that some staff were also ridiculed on the page.

He said USP ICT had been alerted to the bullying and harassment and a formal letter would be issued to the administrators.

Several students from USP said that the page was damaging because it affected students emotionally and socially.

Anti-bullying advocate, Peter Waqavonovono, who has been targeted in these pages, highlighted the problem on his Facebook profile about the page.

“Your HATE is sadly not killing my Spirit and my resolve to get Hate and Bullying Pages closed is ever so reaffirmed,” he posted.

 “Today I encourage more people to report these pages to Facebook and close them down,” he said.

“USP is not an institution for Racists and Haters,” Waqavonovono added.

Former USP student, Hosanna Kabakoro, who was also mentioned on one of the confession pages, also responded to the posts.

“These pages have become an outlet for young people to bully each other,” she said in an e-mail.

“I feel for those whose names have been dragged through the muck by ignorant people who take rumor for fact,” Kabakoro said.

Originally published in Wansolwara