Key characteristics and forms of cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can be conducted in many ways, using different media including:
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the sending of abusive texts or emails
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taking and sharing unflattering or private images, including naked or sexual images
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posting unkind messages or inappropriate images on social networking sites
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excluding individuals from online chats or other communication
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assuming the identity of the victim online and representing them in a negative manner or manner that may damage their relationship with others
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repeatedly, and for no strategic reason, attacking players in online gaming.
Like other forms of bullying such as verbal abuse, social exclusion and physical aggression, cyberbullying has the potential to result in the target of bullying developing social, psychological and educational issues.
While cyberbullying is similar to real life bullying it also differs in the following ways:
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it can be difficult to escape and invasive—it can occur 24/7 and a person can be targeted while at home
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it can involve harmful material being widely and rapidly disseminated to a large audience, for example, rumours and images can be posted on public forums or sent to many people at once
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it can provide the bully with a sense of relative anonymity and distance from the victim, so there is a lack of immediate feedback or consequences.