Monica Lewinsky. Zoë Quin. Tyler Clementi. Amanda Todd. Jonathan Martin. Jessica Logan. Anna Sarkeesian. All of these individuals were high profile targets of obvious online harassment and cyberbullying. Some, like Lewinsky and Sarkeesian, were able to turn their experience into a call to action, helping other targets and educating the public of the ways they can help as cyber-bystanders. Too often, however, targets of these actions are lost to suicide, in part due to these experiences. While some of these names and high-profile cases are well known, the definitions of, statistics about, and opportunities to combat online harassment and cyberbullying are not as common knowledge.
Cyberbullying is defined by scholars and experts, like those at the Department of Health and Human Services, as repetitive, intentionally harmful behavior online that either determines or maintains a power imbalance. Not all terrible speech or posts online is cyberbullying. As children’s writer Trudy Ludwig has put it, saying something terrible once accidentally is rude. Saying something once intentionally is mean. But saying something over and over again, knowing the target is bothered by your actions, and creating some physical or social power imbalance: that’s bullying. When this is done online, these behaviors are called cyberbullying. In the mediated environment, however, a single, intentional post can go viral, or persist online for perpetuity. Thus, a single act can be considered cyberbullying.
Source: @thomweerd/Unsplash Not all online harassment meets the criteria for cyberbullying, but all types cyberbullying falls under the umbrella of online harassment. Trolling and flaming have become normative behaviors in online forums and social media sites, particularly if they afford anonymity. Trolling occurs when an individual, or group of individuals, “lure members of the community into fruitless arguments” (Herring, Job-Sluder, Scheckler, & Barab, 2002, p.372) and can be especially troublesome for online discussions. Flaming is the “use of hostile expressions towards others”(Lapidot-Lefler & Barak, 2012, p. 434) with the specific aim to be perceived as aggressive. Other behaviors, such as online gossip or rumors, teasing, defamation, and cyberostracism via computer-mediated communication are considered cyberbullying. Those who use discussion forums, online games, social media, and even SMS messaging have unfortunately experienced cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying, though often framed in legislation and news reports as an adolescent or childhood issue, does not only affect those in K-12. Survey results suggest up to 50 percent of college students experience cyberbullying, 30 percent of which for the first time when they arrive on campus (Kowalski, Giumetti, Schroeder, & Reese, 2012). Nearly 30 percent of adults report being cyberbullied as part of their job, often by their own supervisor. Statistics and reports from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & Technology Division are alarming: 41 percent of Americans experience harassment online; 62 percent believe it’s a major problem, and 60% feel those who witness it, or cyber-bystanders, should take a significant role in curbing these behaviors.
Source: @thomweerd/Unsplash Not all online harassment meets criteria for cyberbullying, but toxic speech and behaviors have devastating effects. No matter a target’s age, presence, social standing, or technical ability, if an individual uses any 21st-century communication technology such as SMS text messaging, electronic mail, or the Internet, they have the opportunity to perpetrate, experience, or witness various versions of cyberbullying. Noticing, naming, and claiming these behaviors are an excellent first step in creating safer spaces online.