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Bukyung Kim, Hanyang University, South KoreaAbstract
As internet use has become deeply embedded in adolescents’ daily lives, cyberbullying has emerged as a major form of youth violence. Cyberbullying operates as a type of school violence in which group dynamics play a critical role; depending on how bystanding peers respond, cyberbullying can either escalate and spread or be interrupted (Cho, 2013; Willard, 2007). Accordingly, this study conceptualizes cyberbullying as an extension of school violence occurring among peers who know each other and aims to explore adolescents’ participation roles and coping strategies in cyberbullying situations.Participants were adolescents from grades 4 to 9 attending schools in cities S and H who had prior experiences with cyberbullying. In-depth interviews examined their experiences of cyberbullying, its connection to offline bullying, and their coping responses and rationales in cyberbullying situations. Interview transcripts were fully transcribed and analyzed using a multi-case study approach.The findings identified two major types of cyberbullying (“real-time cyberbullying” and “delayed-exposure cyberbullying”) and two corresponding patterns in adolescents’ perceptions, reasons for bystanding, and perceptions of the severity of both cyberbullying and offline bullying. Adolescents’ interpretations and coping strategies differed depending on the type of cyberbullying they experienced. This study highlights that the characteristics of online environments shape the forms and impacts of cyberbullying, resulting in divergent perceptions and bystanding motives across types. Despite these differences, adolescents showed limited awareness of how cyberbullying differs from offline bullying. The results suggest the need for systematic policies and educational interventions to help adolescents accurately understand the distinctive features and seriousness of cyberbullying.
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