The influence of technology on human society has both been good and bad. While responsible for the state of modern civilization, technology has led to the rise of cyberbullying and is affecting children and adolescents alike. Unlike traditional bullying, where one’s attackers were visible and most likely the same age, cyberbullying cases are such that anyone can be a bully and the biggest impact is on the victim’s psychological development and response (Canas et al., 2019). Additionally, there are no direct consequences because legislations are yet to protect the vulnerable populations. According to Munnelly et al. (2018), the rates of cyberbullying victimization average at 25%. Additionally, Nguyen et al. (2020), cyberbullying is increasingly the cause of self-harm for young adolescents. Until the government stops playing catch-up, there needs to be an ethical code of conduct or framework that will guide online behavior among adolescents, be it to protect them from cyberbullying victimization or dissuading the behavior. This paper is a proposal for a research study to survey the public on what the code of conduct could entail.
Literature Review
Cyberbullying can take on many forms. However, the definition of cyberbullying adopted in this proposal is that by Munnelly et al. (2018), which states that cyberbullying is:
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An aggressive, intentional act or behavior that is carried out by a group or an individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself (p.1).
Almost any means of digital communication can be used for cyberbullying. This includes, but is not limited to, email, online forums, SMS, instant messaging, and social networking platforms, among others (Peled, 2019). On the other hand, there are different types of cyberbullying, and newer ones appear every day. For instance, sending offensive messages counts as harassing, and when it involves repeated threats, it graduates to cyberstalking. If a bully hurtful and false information about a person to others, especially on social media, then they are denigrating. Given the ease of anonymity online, harassment and denigration combined are known as masquerading. Trickery, especially in social engineering, involves false pretenses making the victim disclose private and confidential information. Finally, when a group intentionally leaves a member (s) and stigmatizing them, then they are engaging in exclusion. This list is not exhaustive, however. Peled (2019) lists other types of cyberbullying, from frapping to trolling, phishing, dissing, stalking, and blackmail, among others.
Regardless of the type, the psychological impact on the victims is profound and long-lasting. For instance, studies have linked cyberbullying to psychological conditions like depression, low self-esteem, depression, self-harm, and loneliness (Munnelly et al., 2018; Canas et al., 2019; Nguyen et al., 2020). Canas et al. (2019) performed a study with 1318 adolescents between 11-18 years old and discovered that both cyberbullies and their victims were impacted psychologically. Additionally, the effects of cyberbullying have been found to impact the victim’s academic performance, both in curricular and extracurricular activities (Keith, 2018; Peled, 2019). In a study that took a sample of 365 first-year university students in a Malaysian university, 85% reported having been affected by cyberbullying, especially with regards to their academic performance (Peled, 2019). The problem with these studies, however, is that their sample sizes are too small to be representative. However, when different studies performed with different populations of differing demographic properties and have their results converge, then the validity and reliability of the findings are established.
Therefore, the theoretical framework for studying the effects of cyberbullying in the proposed research study will be based on classic strain theories. There are different sources and types of strains. However, those relevant to this study are those resulting from victimization, where an individual is negatively treated (Keith, 2018). The emotional and deviant reaction to this type of strain from cyberbullying might result from frequent cyberbullying or threats (of any magnitude) to the victim’s identity. The emotional and behavioral consequences of the strains from cyberbullying have been listed in numerous studies, as shown in the previous section (Keith, 2018). Strain theories, therefore, are able to theoretically predict the different consequences of cyberbullying as a type of strain. Such predictions are essential as they provide deeper insight into the emerging phenomenon that is quickly becoming a global concern.
However, while research is focused on establishing the impact of cyberbullying on both the bullies and the victims, there is a gap where little is being done to study the possible interventions that could be taken as well as possible government policies, regulations, and laws that could be proposed. The effects of cyberbullying can be predicted by the strain theories and validated by existing research studies. This proposal is, therefore, for a study that aims to find solutions to the cyberbullying problem. The government is yet to respond fully to the problem, either through comprehensive policies, regulations, or laws. Until this happens, this proposal aims to conduct a survey to collect ideas from different stakeholders on what the appropriate online behavior should be. Additionally, the stakeholders will be given a hypothetical case study where they will be given the opportunity to write the essential elements of a manifesto against cyberbullying. All data collected will be used to create a cyberbullying code of conduct that might be provided to the government (local, state, or federal) as a framework in the policymaking process. Additionally, the code of conduct could also be used to coordinate the activities of the different people and organizations engaged in the fight against cyberbullying.
References
Cañas, E., Estévez, E., Marzo, J. C., & Piqueras, J. A. (2019). Psychological adjustment in cybervictims and cyberbullies in secondary education. Anales De Psicología/Annals of Psychology , 35 (3), 434-443.
Keith, S. (2018). How do traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization affect fear and coping among students? An application of general strain theory. American Journal of Criminal Justice , 43 (1), 67-84.
Munnelly, A., Farrell, L., O’Connor, M., & McHugh, L. (2018). Adolescents’ Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Cyberbullying: an Exploratory Study Using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) and Self-Report Measures. The Psychological Record , 68 (1), 1-10.
Nguyen, H. T. L., Nakamura, K., & Seino, K. (2020). Relationships among cyberbullying, parental attitudes, self-harm and suicidal behavior among adolescents: results from a school-based survey in Vietnam. BMC public health , 20 (1), 1-9.
Peled, Y. (2019). Cyberbullying and its influence on academic, social, and emotional development of undergraduate students. Heliyon , 5 (3), e01393.
