Citation

Felt M. Canadian Journal of Communication 2017; 42(5): 893-912.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017)

DOI

10.22230/cjc.2017v42n5a3083

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Background With the mainstream integration of social media in contemporary teen culture, concerns regarding cyberbullying are gaining international attention. Analysis This study seeks not to measure but to examine the construction of cyberbullying as a Canadian social problem. The analysis focuses on news frames of four high-profile teen suicides linked to computer-mediated harassment.

CONCLUSIONS and Implications The mixed-method content analysis reveals a dominant social problem frame that reifies complex cases into simplified characterizations that misrepresent more common instances of cyberbullying. Mainstream media attention is an effective method for forwarding claims, defining problems, and inspiring legislative change. However, in the Canadian construction of cyberbullying, public discourse emphasizes extreme circumstances atypical of everyday teen culture. © 2017 Canadian Journal of Communication Corporation.

Language: en

Keywords

Content analysis; Cyberbullying; Frame theory; Reification; Suicide