The death of Liu Xuezhou, a boy looking for relatives, is saddening, and many believe that online violence is one of the reasons for his suicide. In this era, online violence may indeed be more common than we think, and in recent years, more and more film and television dramas have discussed online violence from different perspectives (such as the recent hit web drama "The Beginning").
We found that much of the focus of the common discussion of online violence is on the impact of online violence on victims, while there is not much attention paid to how to deal with online violence and how different social actors can reduce it.
To this end, we compiled a popular science article, want to give some thinking and insight from the perspective of psychology, we believe that more understanding will help us better identify the harm caused by this kind of violence, identify whether the people around us are suffering from this kind of violence, so as to take more timely countermeasures.
Cyberbullying refers to the use of digital technology to cause harm to others. This usually involves the use of the internet, but it can also only be done through a mobile phone (e.g., sms-based violence). Social media is one of the main channels for online violence, including Facebook, Instagram, Douyin, Weibo, etc.
Online violence has been seen as a public health problem. From 2007 to 2019, the prevalence of online violence doubled. 59% of teens in the U.S. report that they have been bullied or harassed online.
In general, online violence is a problem that has only emerged in recent years with the increase in the number of netizens, so there are still many aspects of it that have not been deeply studied and understood. In addition, much of the discussion focused on the impact of online violence on victims, while not much attention was paid to how to respond to it and how to reduce it.
Image source: "The Beginning"
01
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the repeated and deliberate use of digital technology to threaten, harass, or publicly humiliate another person.
Cyberbullying uses digital technology, which means that most people commit violence or suffer harm through their mobile devices, tablets, or desktop computers.
Virtual spaces where online violence occurs include social media, inside applications, forums, during games, and more. However, more private cyberbullying can also occur via email, text message, or private message.
Some researchers believe that the five most fundamental attributes of online violence are: intent, repetition, power imbalance, anonymity and openness.
1. Intent
Participants in online violence generally have the intention to cause harm when they commit violence. However, if the victim believes that his or her behavior is harmful, the violence can still occur without the participant's intent.
2. Repeatability
Repetitiveness is a feature of cyberbullying. This refers to repeated actions by the perpetrator, but also to the fact that material shared on the Internet may last longer than the initial violence, especially if private information or private photos are shared as a form of online violence.
3. Imbalance of power
Another feature of online violence is that the victim and the perpetrator are in a state of power imbalance. This is especially true if the violence takes place in public forums.
Image source: Black Mirror
4. Anonymity
Some perpetrators use anonymity to hide behind computer screens when committing cyberbullying. In this case, the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim is not even a power imbalance.
5. Openness
Finally, another feature of some cyber violence involves public communication. This is especially true for those who choose to publicly insult or humiliate someone as a form of online violence.
02
Why do people become perpetrators of online violence?
Why do people engage in online violence? There can be many different factors that can cause a person to become the perpetrator of cyber violence.
1. Mental health issues
Perpetrators of online violence may have certain mental health issues related to the occurrence or worsening of abusive behavior. Possible mental health problems include aggressive tendencies, hyperactivity or impulsivity problems, and substance abuse.
In addition, those with "dark quadrant" personality traits may be at risk of becoming perpetrators of cyberbullying. These people tend to have little empathy for others and may use abusive behavior as a way to enhance their sense of power or worth.
The Dark Quartet consists of four personality traits, sadism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism
2. Former victims of cyberbullying
A person sometimes becomes an abuser after experiencing cyberbullying themselves. In this way, they may want to feel more in control or vent after feeling victimized but unable to retaliate against the original perpetrator.
3. The result of a conflict or breakup
Cyberbullying, which occurs between former friends or lovers, can be triggered by conflicts in friendships or breakups in relationships. Therefore, this type of online violence can be seen as driven by a desire for revenge or jealousy.
4. Bored or want to try out new personality characters
Some argue that some abusers are motivated by boredom or want to try out new personality roles on the internet. This type of cyberbullying is often anonymous.
5. Loneliness or isolation
Perpetrators of online violence may also be people in society who struggle with loneliness or isolation. If they feel neglected by others, they may make themselves feel better by lashing out, or by venting their anger at society.
03
Why do some people only commit violence online?
While some people are abusers in real life and online, there are also people who become perpetrators only in cyberspace. Why is this happening? Why do some people commit violence online and never do so in their daily lives? There are multiple possible explanations for this phenomenon.
1. Non-confrontational and anonymous
People don't commit violence in their daily lives, but the fact that they can be the first reason for being a perpetrator online is related to the nature of the Internet itself. A person can commit violence against others online and remain anonymous. Obviously, this is not possible in traditional violence.
In addition, cyberbullying can be carried out in a non-confrontational manner, especially in the case of anonymity. This means that the abuser may leave a vicious comment on the Internet anytime and anywhere and then switch to other content without having to look at the other person's reply.
Image source: "Three Years Group A"
2. No need for popularity or physical comparative advantage
In order to be an abuser in real life, you usually need to have some advantage over the victim.
This could mean that you're physically bigger than them, it could mean you're more popular than them, or it could mean that there's some sort of power imbalance between you and them.
Instead, anyone can be the perpetrator of online violence. There is no need for a physical advantage or difference in popularity. This means that people who want to commit violence can easily do so on the internet, regardless of their status in real life.
3. The threshold is low
Similar to the concept that doesn't need to be dominant or more popular, the threshold for becoming an online violence perpetrator is low. Anyone with access to the Internet can commit this violence. The definition of online friends is loose, which makes it very easy to be violent to others.
4. The victim's feedback cannot reach the abuser
The final reason why people who are not committing violence in real life may be involved in online violence is related to a lack of feedback from victims. Perpetrators of online violence often engage in violence for a long period of time, mainly because victims generally do not respond in the same way as face-to-face interactions.
Some perpetrators will stop committing violence in real life because they see the impact on their victims, but they may not do so online.
04
How cyberbullying differs from real-life violence
In cyberbullying, victims often have no way to escape the abuse and harassment they suffer. Unlike real-life violence, online violence and the Internet itself have never really shut down, and violence may never end.
This can make victims feel like they have nowhere to escape, especially when the violence involves the disclosure of their private information, or when posts about them go viral online. This type of cyberbullying can last for a long time.
05
The impact of cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can have many negative effects on victims. It can be helpful to understand what impact victims of cyberbullying are affected, as it can serve as a way to identify whether someone is experiencing cyberbullying.
Some of these effects are even stronger than traditional violence, as victims of online violence are often unable to escape abusive situations.
They may include:
Suffering from online violence
Depression and mood swings increase
Anxiety increases
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep (e.g., insomnia)
Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts
Fear increases
Decreased level of self-esteem or sense of self-worth
Socially isolate, quit your circle of friends, or spend a lot of time alone
Avoid doing things they used to like
Poor academic performance
Relationships with family and friends have problems
Symptoms of post-traumatic stress (e.g., hypervigilance, memory disturbance, cringe avoidance, etc.)
Self-injurious behavior (e.g., cutting, punching yourself, knocking on the head)
Substance abuse
Increased anger, irritability or rage
06
Characteristics of victims of cyber violence
Victims of cyberbullying have some recurring common features, including:
Adolescents and young adults are at the greatest risk of becoming victims of online violence.
In examples of spreading false rumors and receiving explicit photos, women are more likely to be victims of online violence.
Gay, bisexual, or transgender people may be more often victims of online violence.
People who are shy, socially poor, or less likely to integrate into society are more likely to be victims of online violence.
People from low-income families are more likely to be victims of online violence.
People who use the internet regularly are more likely to be victims of online violence.
07
How to deal with online violence?
As parents of adult and child victims of cyberbullying, there are many ways to deal with online violence. Let's take a look at each of them separately.
1. As a parent
If your child is experiencing online violence, the best thing to do is to keep them from responding to online violence. Also, let them record every incident in cyberbullying by keeping text messages, emails, photos, and any other form of communication record. If necessary, you can use a screenshot to do it. Have your child forward this information to you so that you can keep a record of everything.
Next, if online violence originates in a school setting, report the online violence to your school's teachers, principals, or administrators. In case of extreme violence or threats, you should also report the violence to the police.
Finally, it's important to reassure your child that they shouldn't be held accountable for online violence. Some victims may feel that their actions are causing the problem, or that they should be blamed in some way. For this reason, it's important to let your child know that what happened is not their fault.
Image source: Unnatural Death
2. As an adult
As an adult who is experiencing online violence, many of the principles mentioned above also apply to your situation.
First, be sure to keep a record of all online violence, whether they're from your text messages, messenger chats, Facebook groups, Instagram messages, or other online sources. Take a screenshot of the evidence of cyberbullying and save it in a computer folder.
Next, if you know the source of online violence, determine if you can take appropriate action against the perpetrator. For example, if the abuser is a colleague or supervisor in the workplace, is there a colleague in the HR department that you can talk to? If the perpetrator is a family member, is there a way to ask the other family members for their support? Finally, if the abuser is someone you only know online, can you block and remove them from all your social media?
The best way to act is to ignore cyber violence as much as possible. However, if you are threatened, then you should report it to the police with the evidence you have gathered.
3. As a society
For victims of cyberbullying, it's not enough to just deal with incidents of cyberbullying and try to find a solution. Many times, these victims are emotionally affected and unable to find help.
At the societal level, it is our responsibility to work towards building a system that fundamentally prevents online violence from occurring. Here are some potentially initiativeal ideas:
Children and teens who have endured online violence are still learning how to regulate emotions and cope with social scenes. Experiencing cyberbullying at this age can have a lasting, permanent impact on it. Mental health resources should be safeguarded to help victims of cyberbullying manage their mental health problems.
Online violence can intensify as a result of the attention it receives. When society generally rejects acts of online violence, so that perpetrators no longer benefit from it, they stop committing violence. This means that every witnessed practice of online violence (especially with a large number of "troll" comments) should be ignored by the public. In addition, advocacy should be carried out to make people aware that online violence is not only unacceptable, but also a manifestation of the weak.
For parents of children trying to help with online violence, schools are their point of contact. For this reason, schools should develop programs and protocols to deal with online violence immediately and quickly. Parents who repeatedly ask the school for help and do not receive help should not occur.
If you have also experienced online violence, or have felt emotionally and emotionally affected by witnessing an event, our psychological assessment services may be able to help you.