Abstract
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are potent with promise and peril. On the one hand, ICTs provide an unprecedented amount of information, an ability to network across the globe, and interactive entertainment and socializing. On the other hand, the same properties are at risk of misuse to bully, to spread misinformation, and to commit other acts of harm. The purpose of this chapter is to consider the theoretical and conceptual significance of studying cyberbullying from a family communication perspective. The aim is to explain essential features of cyberbullying, to situate cyberbullying as a communication phenomenon, and to propose important conceptual and theoretical frameworks in family communication (including trait verbal aggression, developmental assets, family rituals, family communication patterns theory, and inoculation theory) for future research. The hope is that this chapter will inspire more family communication researchers to better understand, study, and provide solutions for the destructive and harmful effects of cyberbullying.
TopIntroduction
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) hold promise, offering an unprecedented amount of information, an ability to network across the globe, and interactive entertainment and socializing. It is no surprise, then, that the use of ICTs is steadily growing among teenagers (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2012), young adults, and the elderly (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2017). Seventy-four percent of adults are on some social networking platform (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram) (Pew Research Center, 2014) and 92% of teens access social media daily (Pew Research Center, 2015). At the same time, ICTs risk peril. The same anonymity that can empower one to seek help about sensitive issues can imperil children, adolescents, and adults when it emboldens bullies. Devastating cases in the news remind us that cyberbullying threatens our families, friends, and communities (NoBullying, 2015). Online forums suggest seemingly inescapable circumstances for adolescents, with one 14 year old girl noting, “. . . I have been bullied many times before, it makes me not want to live in this world anymore,” (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2021).
The effects of cyberbullying are widespread and long lasting (Alvarez, 2012). For children and adolescents, this poses serious psychosocial challenges including substance abuse, depressive symptomatology, low school commitment (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004) and emotional, psychological, and behavioral problems (Hinduja & Patchin, 2011). Adolescent targets of cyberbullying feel sad, angry, frustrated, embarrassed, and scared (Hinduja & Patchin, 2007); they have lower self-esteem and score higher on suicide ideation scales (Sinclair et al., 2012). For example, online forums house stories where individuals and families recount unbelievable hardship in dealing with cyberbullying. One 17-year-old girl notes, “Honestly when I was being cyberbullied I felt like I wanted to never get out of the house or talk to anyone ever again. I ended up staying quiet and even today I do get bullied online,” (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2021). Youths having to guard against problematic interpersonal encounters online and offline are hindered in their ability to focus on academics, family responsibilities, and making pro-social choices (Hinduja & Patchin, 2007). Adults are not immune either, with many experiencing workplace bullying themselves (Cowan, 2013), or as parents, trying to manage the negative effects of cyberbullying on their children. One mother writes, “My sixteen year old son was cyberbullied on Facebook over a period of 8 hours. . . it caused my son to have an acute psychotic break and to be hospitalized in an adolescent psychiatric ward for almost a month,” (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2021).
Given the problematic mental health concerns that arise from the shame, sadness, and anger experienced by those being cyberbullied, as well as the gradual decline in parental monitoring of ICT use among children as they age, it is no wonder that communication surrounding cyberbullying would be challenging, possibly taboo, for families. Taboo topics are “an interaction topic that is perceived as ‘off limits’” (Baxter & Wilmot, 1985, p. 254), and when engaging in topic avoidance, individuals may decide not to disclose information about a particular topic and limit discussion with particular people in their lives (Afifi & Guerrero, 2000). Among adolescents and their parents, taboo topics often include things like sexual /dating experiences, negative life events, communicating with parents about issues with friends, and dangerous/risky activities (Guerrero & Afifi, 1995a; 1995b).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Information and Communication Technologies: The inclusion of past, present, and future technological hardware and software that aids in human communication.
Family Communication: Messages, symbols, and discourses that organize and create rules, rituals, and routines of a family system.
Rituals: Specialized gatherings, events, or routines where families engage in socialization of children, support of healthy technology use, cognitive development, and reverse socialization processes.
Sense-Making: Use of stories and narratives to engage in perspective-taking and organize coherent frameworks around adverse experiences.
Cybervictim: Target of deliberate and repeated harm through the use of communication technology.
Developmental Assets: Cultivation of internal assets (e.g., positive values) and external assets (community support systems) that promote healthy child development.
Inoculation: Resistance to influence.
Cyberbullying: Deliberate and repeated harm to others through the use of communication technology.