Understanding what motivates young people to use cyber bullying as a mechanism of retaliation

Digital technology has permeated young people’s daily lives: 99% of 12- to 14-year-olds in the UK frequently use the internet (UK Office for National Statistics, 2013). For young people, technology use affords many benefits: impacting positively on their psychosocial adjustment and attainment (Valkenburg & Peter, 2007). However, these benefits are frequently offset by more adverse consequences such as aggression and cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying is an: “(a) intentional aggressive behaviour that is, (b) carried out repeatedly, (c) occurs between a perpetrator and victim who are unequal in power, and (d) occurs through electronic technologies” (Kowalski, Giumetti, Schroeder, & Lattanner, 2014). Although the reported prevalence of cyber bullying ranges from 1.5% (Ortega, Calmaetara, & Mora-Mechán, 2008) to 72% (Juvonen & Gross, 2008), recent research undertaken in the UK found that two thirds of young people are involved in cyber bullying (Betts, Gkimitzoudis, Spenser, & Baguley, in press). Involvement in cyber bullying is associated with adjustment difficulties (see Betts, 2016).

During a face-to-face bullying episode young people adopt one of six roles: Victim, bully, reinforcer of the bully, assistant of the bully, defender of the victim, and outsider (e.g., Salmivalli, Lagerspetz, Björkqvist, Österman, & Kaukiainen, 1996). The roles that young people fulfil in a cyber bullying episode are different. Recent research by Betts et al. (in press) identified a group akin to a victim but no clear bully group emerged. Further, Betts et al. found that some young people reported experiencing and engaging in cyber bullying to a similar level. This finding suggests that young people are potentially using cyber bullying as a mechanism to retaliate.

While retaliation seems a likely motive for an individual to engage in cyber bullying behaviours, and technology offers young people the opportunity to seek retaliation in a relatively quick and easy way (Wright & Li, 2013) that is not constrained by geographical proximity (Kite, Gable, & Filippelli, 2010), little research has explored this issue (Frey, Pearson, & Cohen, 2015). Our own research suggests that people’s particular motives for engaging in information disclosure are likely to play a role. Self-related motives, in particular self-esteem and fear of missing out, have been shown to increase online vulnerability by furthering potentially risky online behaviours (Buglass, Binder, Betts, & Underwood, in press). It is plausible to assume that a combination of such motives leads to increased occurrence of behaviours that people would class as self-defence, i.e., necessary and justified retaliation.

Closely related to online retaliation is the question of people’s awareness of what is going on in their online networks. Navigating complex social environments online can be challenging, and some online networks, those that are more socially varied, are more likely to lead to expressed social conflicts. In a recent study by Buglass, Binder, Betts, and Underwood (2016), self-reported social diversity and structural analyses of people’s online networks were predictive of online vulnerability and reported conflict.

Despite some authors arguing that retaliation is perceived by young people as a less constructive way of managing cyber bullying (Perren et al., 2012), Frey et al. (2015) argue that young people may use retaliation as a reason to justify their cyber bullying actions after they have experienced cyber bullying. Consequently, young people may enter a cycle of retaliation and counter-retaliation creating an ongoing cycle of cyber bullying. The proposed PhD will use psychometrics and quasi-experimental methods to further explore young people’s propensity to engage in retaliatory cyber bullying and examine the social cognitive mechanisms that drive this behaviour.In particular, the project will focus on the level of severity chosen for retaliation, and the justifications offered, based on the positioning of sender and recipient of messages within the wider social network, the transgression of social spheres by ambiguous messages and the rules governing appropriate and inappropriate broadcasting of messages.

Specific qualifications/subject areas required of the applicants for this project (e.g. First degree in specific subject area):

Minimum of a UK 1st Class / 2.1 Bachelor’s degree (or UK equivalent according to NARIC) in psychology or a cognate discipline.