The Importance of Differential Power and Repetition As Defining Features of Cyberbullying

It’s hard to remember that only a decade ago, the term “cyberbullying” was just beginning to emerge in the public’s consciousness as ‘A Thing’. Since then, both media and research attention has resulted in a much needed raised public awareness of the larger problem of youth bullying. It also has resulted in overuse and misapplication of the term, often as a way to garner attention that might not otherwise be received without a buzzword in a media headline.

As with traditional (i.e., in-person or face-to-face) bullying, bullying that occurs online is a distinct type of aggression that is overlapping with, but different from, what some refer to as ‘online harassment.’ Consistent with Olweus’ definition of bullying, we believe that cyberbullying must be intentional abuse that includes: (a) a power imbalance between the aggressor and victim, (b) repetition over time, and (c) intent. The definitions of both power imbalance and repetition as they relate to cyberbullying have been debated in the literature. We argue however that while the Internet has perhaps changed the way these features can be experienced, both power balance and repetition should be used when defining whether an online experience meets the criteria for bullying or not.

In this talk, we will provide concrete examples and comparisons of online and offline experiences (e.g., anonymity as form of imbalance of power) as well as present data demonstrating the differential psychosocial correlates of those bullied online versus those who are victims of other types of online peer aggression. We assert that it is critical to be clear and consistent with the terms researchers use and their associated definitions if we are to make progress in the field. Within this context, we argue that cyberbullying needs to be applied only in circumstances that meet the definition of bullying: purposefully aggressive incidents between people with differential power and that is repetitive over time. At the same time, we echo Finkelhor and colleagues’ call to focus not only on bullying, but also on peer victimization more generally; and to focus not only on online spaces, but all of the spaces and places youth need to learn how to navigate healthfully.