Words sometimes really do hurt

These two video’s are the winners in the Nationwide (USA) Cyberbullying PSA Development Contest organised by Sony Creative Software, The Ad Council and the National Crime Prevention Council. The purpose of the cyberbullying PSA contest was to leverage the talents of multimedia creators in a way that contributes to the greater good of the online community.

Above the video from Marvin Jimenez. For his entry, Words Really Do Hurt, Jimenez aimed for a sense of loneliness, and the thought of someone deliberately hurting another through the use of technology in the form of words on a computer screen. “The students involved in the cyberbullying PSA project did an exceptional job,” he said. “This was a great opportunity to expose them to communicating through video to support what educators call ‘differentiated instruction’, working with the medium of video on a very meaningful project.”

Below the video from Josh Bourgeois. He shaped his piece, Illuminate Cyberbullying, around a light bulb to create a feeling of being alone inside someone’s head. “This generation is all about owning decisions,” Bourgeois explained. “Teenagers like to see a peer taking control of a situation, so I thought that if I could create a spot that showed teenagers being careful online doing the right thing, maybe some teens would realize the importance of their actions and think about what they were doing on the Web.”

“We are pleased to see the response this contest has generated and hope it will help to spread the word about the harm cyberbullying causes,” said Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of the Ad Council. “We believe that getting people involved in relaying the message will help youth realize the consequences of bullying in all forms, including electronic means.”

“The Cyberbullying PSA entries by Josh Bourgeois and Marvin Jimenez inspire us all to consider the effects of cyberbullying and take action against it,” said NCPC President and CEO Alfonso E. Lenhardt. “We’re optimistic that their efforts, as well as the submissions by all entrants, will help us prevent this problem that impacts so many of our young people.”

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