Cyberbullying: unraveling the motives of a cyberbully and its impact on the victim

Abstract

Internet and information technology systems are becoming a normal part of daily life for children, teens, adults, and even the elderly. Hence, we all have started living in a world that is technologically driven, not just teens, but adults too are addicted to the use of mobile phones and the Internet. The Internet has played a significant role in connecting the entire world and even people who live across continents. Today’s era has been shaped differently by technology, new age issues have emerged, and therefore it gave rise to cyberbullying also. Simply put, cyberbullying refers to the abuse of information technology which aims at the harassment of other individuals. Cyberbullying consequently takes several forms; this does not necessarily mean hacking or posing of someone else’s profiles. It also involves sharing derogatory remarks or spreading rumors about someone. Also, cyberbullying has risen dramatically over the last ten years (Kyriacou & Zuin, 2016). Hence the present research will be supported by previous researches on cyberbullying and will also delve deeper into the motives of cyberbullies and how the victims are affected by cyberbullying.