The Ecology of Cyberbullying

In this article in Theory Into Practice, Sheri Bauman (University of Arizona) provides a useful list of the ways cyberbullying differs from traditional bullying:

• Predators can conceal their identities.
• They have constant access to their target.
• The usual bully/victim power imbalance is altered: the perpetrator may have little power in the real world but has access to social media.
• There is more “reciprocal banter” – because it’s easy to respond in cyberspace, many students are both perpetrators and victims.
• Online disinhibition is in effect: people say and do things in cyberspace that they would not say or do in person.
• There are no nonverbal clues to the meaning of the message.
• Perpetrators don’t see the victim’s immediate reaction.
• The content posted online is permanent.
• The potential audience of witnesses to cyberbullying is huge.

Bauman says the research on cyberbullying is in its infancy, but we do know that cyberbullying may be ten times more frequent than traditional bullying, that traditional bullies are likely also to be cyberbullies, and that being cyberbullied can be devastating. Research is mixed on gender differences among cyberbullies and victims and the ages in middle and high school when most cyberbullying takes place. There’s very little research on effective prevention and intervention programs, but initial reports indicate that effective anti-bullying programs (such as KiVa in Finland) reduce cyberbullying as well. Other key features are explicit school policies on cyberbullying and direct instruction on Internet safety, appropriate behaviors in cyberspace, how to block offenders, and reporting abuse. 

“Cyberbullying: What Does Research Tell Us?” by Sheri Bauman in Theory Into Practice, Fall 2013 (Vol. 52, #4, p. 249-256), http://bit.ly/1bhRXXa; Bauman is at sherib@u.arizona.edu.

From the Marshall Memo #512