Cyberbullying and online harassment
Sheri A. Bauman · 2023
Researchers and the public frequently express concern about cyberbullying and victimisation among children and adolescents in primary and secondary schools, perhaps because these developmental periods are believed to increase vulnerability for engaging in these behaviours. However, college and university students are not immune to this phenomenon, nor are faculty members. Cyberbullying and online harassment are thought to be motivated in part by the desire to attain, increase or maintain one’s status among one’s peer group. Given the competitive and hierarchical structure of higher education, the context is likely to provide a fertile environment for this form of aggression. In this chapter, I summarise the literature on the prevalence of cyberbullying in institutions of high education, describe the various methods used by university students and faculty to perpetrate cyberbullying, discuss the correlates and predictors of involvement in cyberbullying, and review strategies used to cope with attacks at both the individual and institutional levels.