Citation

Thodelius C. Int. J. Criminol. Sociol. 2020; 9: 231-240.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Lifescience Global)

DOI

10.6000/1929-4409.2020.09.21

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article discusses online suicide games as a part of cyberbullying with the game called "Blue Whale Challenge"as an empirical case. The three-fold aim is to (i) identify key social mechanisms related to participation and engagement, (ii) discuss the phenomena in a broader sociological and criminological framework, and (iii) compare social mechanisms in BWC with mechanisms in cyberbullying. The analysis was conducted in two steps, firstly a case study based on a combination of media reports and extracts from different social media posts related to BWC was conducted. Secondly, the result from the case study was re-analyzed in relation to key elements identified in cyberbullying, to conclude if and how BWC can be defined as a form of cyberbullying. The results show that BWC can be defined as a specific form of cyberbullying, but victimization is created differently in BWC compared to victimization in cyberbullying. © 2020 Lifescience Global.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Victimization; Cyberbullying; Social interaction; Push-pull factors