Cyberbullying in the Social Networking Sites: An Online Disinhibition Effect Perspective
The use of Internet related services has become an inseparable part of everyday life. However, there have also some negative phenomenon associated with Internet usage that need to be addressed. Of these negative phenomenon, cyberbullying is one of the most critical problem that has become increasingly common in recent years. Although many research have been done on this issue over the past few years, most of the existing studies were extended from the perspective of traditional bullying which means the results may not truly reflect the actual situation in cyberbullying. Consequently, there is a need to provide more empirical evidences to have better understanding on the causes of cyberbullying. The aim of this study is to understand the online disinhibition effect and how this is connected to cyberbullying involvement. We further explored the individual characteristics of each role in various cyberbullying incidents and determines whether there are connections between role changes. An empirical survey and statistical methods was utilized to address the proposed research question. Several empirical results were found. Both academic and practical implications are discussed.
MISNC