Editorial Today’s Teacher
FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2010
Is Cyber Bullying
really as large a threat
as publicised or a prod-
uct of scare mongering?
Put your research where
By Celeste McBow
your mouth is...
BULLIES, habitually described as a brut youth,
terrorising vulnerable students on school play-
grounds at lunch time and after school. One often
caricaturised in films as an aggressive simpleton
who preys on meek or social outcasts, researchers
argue that many bullies are intelligent and have
well developed social skills which they use to ma-
nipulate and dominate others. It has been sug-
gested that the conventional bully has tran-
scended into the virtual domain due to growing
technologies. The new age ‘cyber-bully’ contra-
dicts previous conceptions of what physically con-
stitutes a bully. With no stereotype to follow, cy-
ber-bullies are not easy to identify in the sus-
pended reality of online media.
This form of bullying often dubbed the ‘new’
threat to society no longer requires the abuser
physically carry out the act of bullying. Individuals
who cower to abuse or manipulate can now trade
physical presence for technological knowledge of
the Internet and mobile phones to slander others
from a distance. The act of bullying is no longer
restricted to face-to-face contact, intimidation or
harassment,
but can also operate through more intrusive ave-
nues that can penetrate the safety of homes four
walls.
The act of bullying refers
to abusive relationships,
where repeated actions
aimed to intentionally hurt
are directed at a victim (or
victims) who is in a less
powerful situation and thus, unable to defend
themselves effectively. Often accepted as a truth
in all stages of life, bullying has been evident in
societies for many years. With modern technolo-
gies such as Internet and mobile phones develop-
ing at rapid rates and accessible to people of all
ages and dispositions, it is reasonable to suggest
that ‘traditional’ bullying would be over-
shadowed by the new age rogue, the ‘cyber-
bully’. The cyber-bully is more difficult to define in
exact terms but perhaps best described as an
amendment to the definition of bullying, carried
out through electronic devices.
Although one cannot deny the real threat that
cyber-bullying does present, the question remains
is it really as prevalent as society conceives it to
be? When it comes to matters of opinion, it is
better to settle the argument with supporting re-
search.
Bullying vs. Cyber-bullying
Comparisons between the prevalence of tradi-
tional bullying and cyber-bullying indicate that
children and adolescents experience traditional
forms of bullying more than cyber-bullying, ac-
cording to studies conducted in recent times Ju-
vonen and Gross, 2008, Li, 2007 & Raskauskas and
Stoltz, 2007: online).
6
 Editorial
Research presents an overlap between being the
perpetrator and being a victim of cyber-bullying,
and the involvement in cyber-bullying and tradi-
tional bullying as a perpetrator.
In summary, cyber-bullying is strongly linked,
even an extension of traditional bullying, which
undermines the ideology many hold that cyber-
bullying is an out of control trend ravishing our
country. Rather, it is an adaptation of traditional
bullying in different contexts.
Mouths Writing Cheques That Research
Cannot Cash?
As mentioned previously, the act defined as bully-
ing has been documented across diverse societies
and time periods, throughout the world. With the
ever growing phenomenon that is bullying, it has
been an attractive area of study for psychological
researchers and academics from the field of infor-
mation technology and legal studies. In more re-
cent times, there has been a large public interest
into the nature of cyber-bullying; its effects, what
differentiates it from traditional bullying and
methods to cope with it at an individual and insti-
tutional level. Fortunately, research efforts are
growing to help shed more light on the issue, but
can recent research efforts compete with numer-
ous years of studies into traditional bullying?
Today’s Teacher
FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2010
Think Of It This Way
• Internet and mobile phone technologies ac-
cessibility by the general population does not
exceed fifty years. Therefore, cyber-bullying
did not exist without these technologies. Sub-
sequently, research into cyber-bullying has
only been conducted in a time of relevance,
spaning over a short period.
• Behavioural, psychological and social studies
into traditional bullying have been carried out
for countless years. Pioneering philosophies
and research into this area along a vast time
line, simply can not be compared to new age
cyber-bully research.
Final Word
Although I strongly advocate for children’s wel-
fare and celebrate research and organisations
working tirelessly in the area of cyber-bullying, I
do feel that scare tactics are left field to bringing
awareness to the topic. My investigations suggest
that perhaps cyber-bullying is over-hyped and un-
der-researched, however it is of no less impor-
tance. I support and admire those working hard in
the area, although not as much as those who
have endured bullying and persevered.
References
Juvonen, J. and E.F. Gross (2008) ‘Extending the School Grounds? Bullying
Experiences in Cyberspace’, Journal of School Health 78(9): 496–505. Re-
trieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Li, Q. (2006) ‘Cyberbullying in Schools. A Research of Gender Differences’,
School Psychology International 27(2): 157–70. Retrieved from Academic
Search Premier database.
Raskauskas, J. and A.D. Stoltz (2007) ‘Involvement in Traditional and Elec-
tronic Bullying among Adolescents’, Developmental Psychology 43(3): 564
–75. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Vandebosch, H., & Van Cleemput, K. (2008) ‘Defining Cyberbullying: A
Qualitative Research into the Perceptions of Youngsters’, CyberPsychology
& Behavior, 11(4). Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.