Defining Cyberbullying
Abstract
Is cyberbullying essentially the same as bullying, or is it a qualitatively different activity? The lack of a consensual, nuanced definition has limited the field’s ability to examine these issues. Evidence suggests that being a perpetrator of one is related to being a perpetrator of the other; furthermore, strong relationships can also be noted between being a victim of either type of attack. It also seems that both types of social cruelty have a psychological impact, although the effects of being cyberbullied may be worse than those of being bullied in a traditional sense (evidence here is by no means definitive). A complicating factor is that the 3 characteristics that define bullying (intent, repetition, and power imbalance) do not always translate well into digital behaviors. Qualities specific to digital environments often render cyberbullying and bullying different in circumstances, motivations, and outcomes. To make significant progress in addressing cyberbullying, certain key research questions need to be addressed. These are as follows: How can we define, distinguish between, and understand the nature of cyberbullying and other forms of digital conflict and cruelty, including online harassment and sexual harassment? Once we have a functional taxonomy of the different types of digital cruelty, what are the short- and long-term effects of exposure to or participation in these social behaviors? What are the idiosyncratic characteristics of digital communication that users can be taught? Finally, how can we apply this information to develop and evaluate effective prevention programs?
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- Authors
- Englander, E., Donnerstein, E., Kowalski, R., Lin, C. A., & Parti, K.
- Affiliations
- Bridgewater State University (US)
- University of Arizona (US)
- Clemson University (US)
- University of Connecticut (US)
- National Institute of Criminology (HU)
- Venue
- Pediatrics
- Publisher
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Published
- 2017-11-01
- Volume
- 140
- Issue
- Supplement_2
- Pages
- S148-S151
- ISSN
- 0031-4005 (ISSN-L)
- 1098-4275
- OpenAlex
- W4213108887
- Cited by
- 189
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 1.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- PEDIATRICS (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Journal of international women's studies (submittedVersion)
- VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) (submittedVersion)
- 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
- cyberbullying, bullying, definition of cyberbullying, online harassment, sexual harassment, cyber conflict, power imbalance, psychological effects of cyberbullying, bullying prevention programs, digital communication skills
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Child, Humans, Crime Victims, Internet, Bullying
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