Toxic Ties: Networks of Friendship, Dating, and Cyber Victimization
Abstract
We examine instances of youth cyber aggression, arguing that the close relationships of friendship and romance substantially influence the chances of being targeted. We investigate networks of friendship, dating, and aggression among a sample of 788 eighth- to twelfth-grade students in a longitudinal study of a New York school. Approximately 17 percent reported some involvement in cyber aggression within the past week. LGBTQ youth were targeted at a rate over four times that of their heterosexual peers, and females were more frequent victims than males. Rates of cyber aggression were 4.3 times higher between friends than between friends of friends. According to both an exponential random graph model and a lagged, network MRQAP regression, electronic attacks emerged far more frequently between current or former friends and dating partners, presumably due to competition, revenge, or attempts to fend off romantic rivals.
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Harassment is a way of gaining power and status among peers.
“However, if harassment is a way of gaining power and status among peers (Thornberg, 2011; Felmlee and Faris, 2016), and bullies choose victims based on their physical and social traits (Dennehy et al. 2020), then these traits are inseparable from the predominant values of the given socio-historical context.”
From “It’s just a joke”: gender, sexuality and trivialisation in adolescent online violence such as cyberhate, cyberbullying, and online grooming (2025) · cites this paper as Felmlee and Faris, 2016
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References 63 · Cited by 103
- Authors
- Felmlee, D., & Faris, R.
- Affiliations
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- University of California, Davis (US)
- Corresponding author
- Felmlee, Diane
- ORCID
- Felmlee, Diane
- Venue
- Social Psychology Quarterly
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-08-20
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 243-262
- ISSN
- 0190-2725 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-8999
- OpenAlex
- W2512142190
- Cited by
- 103
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 15.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Social Psychology Quarterly (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- online aggression, youth, friendship networks, romantic relationships, dating, LGBTQ youth, victimization, sexual orientation, gender differences, social networks, revenge
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