Researchers discover that bystanders of cyberbullying are less likely to get directly involved
A recent study conducted by Cornell Researchers from the Department of Communication found that bystanders of cyberbullying are more likely to intervene indirectly than directly. These researchers executed a three-day experiment where they showed participants many incidents of cyberbullying.
The primary purpose of the study was to explore the effects of the design of website interface on bystander intervention through the use of a custom social media website called EatSnap.Love. The participants of the experiment were given different information regarding viewing notifications and audience size to increase the sense of personal responsibility among …show more content…
According to the results of the study, 74.5% of the bystanders did not intervene in any way during the three-day experiment. Only 25.5% of the participants got involved indirectly by mostly flagging the post while none chose to combat the cyberbullying directly.
According to researchers DiFranzo, Taylor and Kazerooni, less than a third of users that observe cyberbullying choose to intervene. The cyberbullying researchers view “this inaction to be an example of the bystander effect or bystander apathy.” The bystander effect, as described by the researchers of the study, occurs when bystanders are unresponsive in the presence of a larger audience as they feel less responsible.
Since the majority of the participants did not get involved with the cyberbullying posts, the researchers of this study presented an approach to increase bystander intervention. Through research on the bystander intervention model and the bystander effect, alterations in design could be a solution to improving upstanding behavior when trying to prevent
A recent study conducted by Cornell Researchers from the Department of Communication found that bystanders of cyberbullying are more likely to intervene indirectly than directly. These researchers executed a three-day experiment where they showed participants many incidents of cyberbullying.
The primary purpose of the study was to explore the effects of the design of website interface on bystander intervention through the use of a custom social media website called EatSnap.Love. The participants of the experiment were given different information regarding viewing notifications and audience size to increase the sense of personal responsibility among …show more content…
According to the results of the study, 74.5% of the bystanders did not intervene in any way during the three-day experiment. Only 25.5% of the participants got involved indirectly by mostly flagging the post while none chose to combat the cyberbullying directly.
According to researchers DiFranzo, Taylor and Kazerooni, less than a third of users that observe cyberbullying choose to intervene. The cyberbullying researchers view “this inaction to be an example of the bystander effect or bystander apathy.” The bystander effect, as described by the researchers of the study, occurs when bystanders are unresponsive in the presence of a larger audience as they feel less responsible.
Since the majority of the participants did not get involved with the cyberbullying posts, the researchers of this study presented an approach to increase bystander intervention. Through research on the bystander intervention model and the bystander effect, alterations in design could be a solution to improving upstanding behavior when trying to prevent