Cyberbullying Issues

Social Media

What is Cyberbullying?

Definition Excerpts

ᴥ An emerging phenomenon prevalent among adolescentsᴥ Harassment and bullying conducted via electronic media

ᴥ Computersᴥ Tabletsᴥ Smartphones

ᴥ Widespread problem which is not easily resolved

Kevin McGraw-Stevens and Dr. Justin Patchin Criminal Justice University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireKevin McGraw-Stevens and Dr. Justin Patchin Criminal Justice University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

ᴥ Modern technology allows constant social interactionᴥ Victims cannot easily escape harassment

ᴥ Anonymous and public nature of online interaction enhances the inflammatory and embarrassing nature of harassment

ᴥ Predicting and recognizing behavior is difficultᴥ Lack of awareness about the seriousness of cyberbullying

ᴥ Victims do not know where to seek help

The Empirical Status of Cyberbullying ResearchThe Empirical Status of Cyberbullying Research

Purpose of this StudyRecognize patterns from existing researchᴥ Commonly used definitionsᴥ Characteristics of victims and/or bulliesᴥ Prevalence rates

Better inform future researchᴥ Importance of studying and reporting prevalence

rates ᴥ Emphasize importance of the use of consistent time

periods and definitionsᴥ Importance of using random sampling techniques

Methodsᴥ Searched journal databases using the following terms:

“cyberbullying” “cyber bullying” “cyber bully” “online bullying”

ᴥ Performed snowball sampling of works cited and focused on peer-reviewed sources – 75 journal articles reviewed and included in our study

Findingsᴥ Increase in depressive mood and behaviors (e.g. isolation and

suicidal ideation) is common across articlesᴥ Lack of awareness by authorities (e.g. teachers) about the

existence of cyberbullying and its potential harm is rampant

Current cyberbullying research is impaired due to:ᴥ Use of non-random sampling techniquesᴥ Underreporting of prevalence ratesᴥ Lack of use of uniform time periodsᴥ Inconsistent cyberbullying definitions

DiscussionCyberbullying is a young and evolving field of study. As a result, contemporary research is difficult to evaluate. Therefore, it is necessary that researchers use consistent methods in their research in order to properly understand and inform the public about the issue. ᴥ By using random sample techniques, researchers would

ensure that they are gathering a representative sample of the target population.

ᴥ Reporting prevalence rates would allow for an examination of the pervasiveness of cyberbullying.

ᴥ Using uniform time periods would permit a sound comparison of prevalence rates among studies.

ᴥ Reaching a consensus on the definition of cyberbullying would guarantee the ability to compare research and would allow for duplication of studies.

Developing consistent research methods will be crucial in advancing the study of cyberbullying, educating the public about the its prevalence, and disseminating useful information for people who are seeking help.

We thank the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for supporting this research, and Learning & Technology Services for printing this poster.

Acknowledgements

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Cyberbullying Victimization Rates Across Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

(N=52 Articles)

Author and Year

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Cyberbullying Offending Rates Across Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

(N=43 Articles)

Author and Year

Mean: 14.3% Median: 12.1%

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Cyberbullying Offending Rates by Gender(N=18 Articles)

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Mean Males: 16.1%Mean Females: 11.8%

ᴥ “bullied through e-mail, instant messaging, in a chat room, on a website, or through a text message sent to a cellphone” (Kowalski & Limber, 2013)

ᴥ “Willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices” (Hinduja and Patchin, 2009)

ᴥ “Flaming, Harassment, Denigration, Impersonation, Outing and Trickery, Exclusion, and Cyberstalking” (Willard, 2009)

Constantly evolving social media increases the difficulty of effectively researching cyberbullying and educating the public

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Sampling Technique Used in Articles Reviewed(N=75 Articles)

Number of Articles

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