Abstract
Cyber-bullying, or the repeated (mis)use of technology to harass, intimidate, or terrorize another person (Franek, 2004), is a growing problem among adolescents and teenagers in schools. Although cyberbullying inherently implicates important aspects of the communication process, scholars interested in computer-mediated communication have been slow to investigate this phenomenon. This chapter presents an initial effort to document this phenomenon from a communication-based perspective and offers a theoretical foundation for its examination. In so doing, the present chapter provides a review of how the concept of bullying has been traditionally been understood, contextualizes bullying within a mediated context, discusses existing research on cyber-bullies and victims, and applies existing theoretical approaches to understand the motivation behind and effects of cyber-bullying.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Overt aggression: Aggression that is intended to harm others physically through pushing, kicking, punching, or mentally through physical threats (Crick, et al., 1997).
Self-Efficacy: An individual’s perceived ability to execute a given behavior (Bandura, 1997).
Cyber-Bullying: The repeated (mis)use of technology to harass, intimidate, or terrorize another person (Franek, 2004)
Cyber-Bullying: The repeated (mis)use of technology to harass, intimidate, or terrorize another person (Franek, 2004)
Relational Aggression: Indirect aggression intended to damage peer relationships through rumor spreading and social exclusion (Crick et al., 1997).
Outcomes Expectancy: The perceived likely consequence of engaging in a behavior (Bandura, 1997). Such expectancies are thought to operate as “anticipatorily as motivators and regulators of current behavior” (Bandura 2001).
Relational Aggression: Indirect aggression intended to damage peer relationships through rumor spreading and social exclusion (Crick et al., 1997).
Social Cognitive Theory (SCT): Defines human behavior through the interactions among self, environment, and behavior (Bandura, 1986).
Symbolic Interaction Theory (SIT): Defines the individual development of self through social interactions, defined as the messages individuals receive from others—positive and negative, in their social environment (Goffman, 1959; Rose, 1962).
Social Cognitive Theory (SCT): Defines human behavior through the interactions among self, environment, and behavior (Bandura, 1986).
Symbolic Interaction Theory (SIT): Defines the individual development of self through social interactions, defined as the messages individuals receive from others—positive and negative, in their social environment (Goffman, 1959; Rose, 1962).
Outcomes Expectancy: The perceived likely consequence of engaging in a behavior (Bandura, 1997). Such expectancies are thought to operate as “anticipatorily as motivators and regulators of current behavior” (Bandura 2001).
Overt aggression: Aggression that is intended to harm others physically through pushing, kicking, punching, or mentally through physical threats (Crick, et al., 1997).
Self-Efficacy: An individual’s perceived ability to execute a given behavior (Bandura, 1997).