Citation

Baraldo M, Chetty R. Acta Criminol. 2018; 31(3): 20-33.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Criminological Society of South Africa)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In this qualitative study, the impact of cyberbullying upon the lives of Grade 7 learners in Cape Town, South Africa, was examined. Learners' insights into the phenomenon of cyberbullying were investigated at the intersection between the on-line and off-line dynamics which characterise the 'bullying-cyberbullying' circuit. Destructive tensions between on-line and off-line realities were thematised by learners participating in the research. Social media were unanimously considered to be the main arena for the aggression of on-line bullies where possibilities and types of reactions were predetermined, shaping the experience and the consequences suffered by the victims.

RESULTS highlighted that, although cyberbullying stems from traditional bullying, it has expanded into a multimodal phenomenon, which is characterised by an interplay between aggressive visual and written content, offensive gestures and violent speech perceived by the young users to be potentially more damaging than traditional forms of bullying.

Language: en