Abstract
In less than two decades, social media has become a part of life for many people, increasing the positive and negative effects of social relationships. In a sense, the traditional offline behaviors moved into a ubiquitous environment, enhancing the social phenomenon of cyberbullying. Thus, it attracted much attention from different fields within academia. To understand how research has been conducted in the last 20 years and the topics addressed, this study applied a bibliometric analysis to academic literature from 2000 to 2020 related to cyberbullying in social media, using techniques such as citation analysis, co-citation analysis, and content analysis. The growing interest of the field is confirmed, and some research gaps are unveiled. Since this is one of the first studies to explore cyberbullying that occurs in social media networks, it is hoped that this chapter will stimulate further research on this topic reinforcing the gaps found.
TopBackground
As technology advances are widely adopted by people, social interactions tend to change from face-to-face to virtual exchanges. When looking at both theoretical and empirical research studies on social networks it can be found that traditionally they are an interdisciplinary endeavor (Zych, Ortega-Ruiz, & Del Rey, 2015). Thus, this phenomenon has its starting point as a broad range of social phenomena present since the begin of humankind history, has been complexity crosscutting multiple levels of analysis, especially since the birth of online social networks.
Social network sites have been present on the Internet for almost 20 years, and in the last eight years have deeply affected relationships established between users. According to Marwick and Boyd (2011) social media should be ruled by a social norm of personal authenticity. Thus, in this networked world, people post tweets, likes and become fans, explore millions of mobile apps, and search, create and share content; people tend to actively live virtually. which encourages youths to share aspects of their personal life with their social network (Marwick & Boyd, 2011). Users stay connected through multiple devices which increase efficiency, convenience, access to information, a wider spectrum of information, and broader selections of data sources (Fotis, Buhalis, & Rossides, 2012), changing communication flows and information ownership (Berthon, Hulbert, & Pitt, 2005).
The users’ communication empowerment occurred alongside with internet evolution, not only modifying information access, but also shaping users’ behaviors and motivations. In the early years of Internet, Web 1.0 appeared as a tool linking documents and turning them electronically available on the Internet. This allowed users to search and read a wide range of information. At this point Tim Berners-Lee noted that the web could be compared to files extensions as “read-only” (Tiago & Veríssimo, 2014). With Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 communication flows in both directions, allowed users to interact and share information among each other, users, enabling the creation of virtual communities of users and social networks (Singh, Iyer, & Salam, 2009). This new reality may enable bonding and communication among users, but it also leaves users susceptible to less positive reflections on offline human relational phenomenon (Kwan & Skoric, 2013; S. Wang, 2020).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Moral Disengagement: Term used by social psychology to refer to the process according to which the self does not recognize the ethical-moral norms as applicable to itself, in any context. People with moral disengagement do not show any kind of empathy, pity for the vulnerability of their victims.
Psychosomatic Problems: Human disease, some kind of physical or mental human's disorder.
Bibliometric Analysis: Consists in the use of qualitative and quantitative statistical methods to analyse publication’s contents, references, citations and (co)authorships.
Social media: Are internet-based forms of communication, such as social network sites and microblogging, that allow users to establish social networking relationships.
Power Imbalance: Is one of the major differences between bullying and cyberbullying, based on the fact that one single malicious act may be repeatedly disseminated over the time and viewed by multiple users that can become active or passive bullies.
Cyberbullying: Comprehends an inimical behaviour to harm others by an individual or a group, perpetrated by the electronic devices, inducing psychosomatic problems.
Bullying: Comprehends an aggressive human behaviour against another human, which is perpetuated in time, inflicting harmful effects on the victims.