It seems a lot of us are typing these days, but not all of us are doing it for the right reasons.
This year alone, the number of people using social networks will reach 1.43 billion -- nearly a 20 per cent increase since 2011, according to a report by eMarketer. The report found one out of every five people worldwide will use a social network site, and by 2014, this number will reach a quarter of the population.
But along with keeping us connected, social media can also do more harm than good. A report by security company ZeroAlarm found even though 78 per cent of teens were happy using sites like Facebook and Twitter, another 41 per cent had also experienced harassment.
At least 74 per cent of cyberbullying victims are female and 56 per cent of the time, the harasser is an ex, the report found. But it's not just relationships gone wrong that are the cause. Family members, neighbours and even co-workers have all played the role of bully.
Another report from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found girls in Ontario are nearly twice as likely to be victims of cyberbullying than boys, and at least 35 per cent of youth say they were victimized online.
But where does it all begin -- a note stuffed in a locker or hearing those whispers behind your back? Neither. The most common forms of harassment start on the web:
11 Places Online Harassment Begins
LOOK: Infographic by ZeroAlarm
At least 32 per cent of online harassment starts when people click the 'send' button in their inbox.
At least 16 per cent of online creeping and bullying starts on Facebook.
Websites
At least 10.5 per cent of harassment starts on specific websites and commenting.
Texting
About 7.25 per cent of harassment starts through one's fingertips.
Message Boards
At least 7 per cent of bullying and stalking starts on message boards.
Blogs
About 4.25 per cent of online harassment starts on blogs.
Chat
About 4 per cent of harassment starts face-to-face.
Around 3 per cent of online harassment starts over a tweet.
Gaming
At least 2.5 per cent of harassment starts over gaming.
Instant Messaging
Around 2.5 per cent of online harassment starts over instant messages.
YouTube
Oh the age of video -- at least 1.5 per cent of online harassment starts on YouTube.