Cyberbullying can be targeted at individuals, groups, ideas–study

Cyberbullying can be aimed not only at individuals, but also at groups and even ideas or beliefs, according to a study released by De La Salle University.

According to research team member Dr. Jan Bernadas, “bullying and harassment can be aimed at individuals. Beyond this, online posts, memes, and the like can also be aimed at groups like the queer community and ideas like believing in a particular political stance.”

Titled “How Filipino Youth Identify and Act on Bullying and Harassment on Social Media,” the report said Filipino youth experienced a wider range of bullying and harassment on social media than earlier studies had identified.

The DLSU study led by Prof. Cheryll Soriano was the result of a two-year research project that covered Metro Manila, Batangas in Luzon, Negros Occidental in Visayas, and Misamis Occidental in Mindanao. It involved in-depth interviews with 152 Filipino youth across different genders and educational status.

“The common understanding is that victimization takes place through direct attacks to individuals. By including groups and ideas as targets, the Filipino youth and their experiences revealed that online bullying is not necessarily directed toward a specific individual. The emphasis on groups and ideas as targets extends the argument that online bullying is an inter-group phenomenon and involves social processes,” said an excerpt from the study.

That cyberbullying could be directed “at individuals, groups, or ideas” also implied “that there is fluidity and normalization of bullying among the youth within their day-to-day social relationships,” it added.

A statement from DLSU said “[t]he research spotlights how young Filipinos, aged 15-24, describe cyberbullying as having many possible targets, as manifested in many kinds of online actions, and as happening across many digital spaces.”

“Bullying and harassment can be direct and in your face. But it can be veiled because you can just subtweet someone or talk about a person who isn’t part of the group chat you’re in,” said Prof. Jason Cabañes.

“Sometimes, bullying is also concealed in the form of jokes, teasing, and sarcasm among friends that may seem like fun but are actually perceived as bullying and hurtful to the peers.”

DLSU Department of Psychology’s Kimberly Kaye Mata, meanwhile, said the bullying and harassment could “start in a private chat. But it can escalate to the point that it happens openly on social media, like what you see with bashing or with cancel culture.”

“Responding to the challenge of social media bullying and harassment cannot just be done by the Filipino youth alone,” said Prof. Maria Caridad Tarroja.

“Alongside these young people, there also needs to be a collective responses from social media platforms and local communities.” – RC, GMA News