Towards a Communication-Based Approach to Cyber-Bullying

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2008

Keywords

overt aggression, self-efficacy, cyber-bullying, relational aggression, outcomes expectancy, SCT, SIT, overt aggression

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-59904-863-5.ch026

Abstract

Cyber-bullying, or the repeated (mis)use of technology to harass, intimidate, or terrorize another person (Franek, 2004), is a growing problem among adolescents and teenagers in schools. Although cyberbullying inherently implicates important aspects of the communication process, scholars interested in computer-mediated communication have been slow to investigate this phenomenon. This chapter presents an initial effort to document this phenomenon from a communication-based perspective and offers a theoretical foundation for its examination. In so doing, the present chapter provides a review of how the concept of bullying has been traditionally been understood, contextualizes bullying within a mediated context, discusses existing research on cyber-bullies and victims, and applies existing theoretical approaches to understand the motivation behind and effects of cyber-bullying.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

No

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Towards a Communication-Based Approach to Cyber-Bullying, in S. Kelsey & K. St. Amant (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Computer-mediated Communication, IGI Global, p. 339-352

Share

COinS