CYBERBULLYING
Cyberbullying or Online Bullying
What is cyberbullying or online bullying?
It is an intentional act of aggression towards a person, materialized by an individual or a group, through the use of technology. It is a phenomenon that usually occurs in contexts where interpersonal relationships are disruptive and/or become problematic, for example, envying someone else’s success, a failed romantic relationship, the breakup of a friendship, or intolerance towards specific groups based on sexual orientation, disability, gender or ethnicity, among others.
Cyberbullying may also take various forms
(Cowie, 2013):
- Denigration: disparagement, spreading of cruel rumors es.
- Impersonation: pretending to be someone else and sharing information to damage a person’s reputation
- Outing: disclosing another person’s personal information, information that has been shared confidentially
- Flaming: electronic transmission of vulgar and/or angry messages
- Exclusion: maliciously leaving a person out of an online group, such as a chat or a game, by grouping around an individual
- Harassment: repeatedly sending threatening and/or insulting messages Cyberharassment: threats of harm or intimidation
Consequences of Cyberbullying
As it is a form of harassment mediated by cell phones and the Internet, it is often anonymous and therefore creates a greater feeling of helplessness in the victims and impunity for the harassers. (Olweus, 2012; Kokkinos & Antoniadou, 2019). Victims may experience various negative mental health consequences (Litwiller & Brausch, 2013; Stevens et al., 2021), including lack of acceptance in their peer groups, resulting in loneliness and social isolation, which may lead to low self-esteem and depression (Litwiller & Brausch, 2013; Stevens et al., 2021).