Cyberbullying and How It Affects Me: Goals and Expected Outcomes

Cyberbullying and How It Affects Me: Goals and Expected Outcomes

In general, the phenomenon of cyberbullying affects anyone who communicates on the Internet. Whether having a direct impact, or influencing a user negatively after reading an argument between a bully and a victim, the issue in question influences every single user of online forums, social networks, and other types of communication platforms available online. Therefore, cyberbullying also affects me as an active member of a range of social networks, forums, and discussion boards.

Current Interpretations of Cyberbullying: Literature Review

Although the problem of cyberbullying has been studied quite extensively over the past few years, very few researches indicate the connection between psychological disorders and the phenomenon under analysis. As far as the effects of cyberbullying on the development of mental issues are concerned, a range of studies point to the fact that the phenomenon may prompt a severe depression (Nicol, 2012). In addition, cyberbullying may impede the process of real-life communication. The above effects of the subject matter can be attributed to the idea of victimization, which implies assigning the participants of a conversation with the roles of a victim and an abuser (Elgar et al., 2014). As a result of the violent attacks and the distortion of their self-image and self-perception, the victims of cyberbullies become especially prone to the development of depression and the associated psychological and mental disorders (Völlink, Bolman, Eppingbroek, & Dehue, 2013).

Target Audience: The Social Network in Its Entirety

The study on the issue identified above is going to target primarily the people that are predisposed to developing psychological disorders and, therefore, can be affected easily by cyberbullies. However, in case the study proves that cyberbullying may trigger the development of disorders in both people with mental issues and regular users, the research outcomes can be viewed as important for everyone using the Internet and participating in online discussions, whether actively or passively.