Reyes: How prevalent is social media cyberbullying for undergraduate college students?

Table of Contents

Introduction....... 2
Literature Review...... 3
Where and Why is Cyberbullying Flourishing?.................................................................. 3
Why is it Appearing in Undergraduate Education?............................................................. 4
What Are The Effects Cyberbullying Has On Undergraduate Students?............................ 5
What Does the Law Say?..................................................................................................... 5
Methodology....... 6
Historical Analysis................................................... 6
Interview Process............. 7
Psychoanalytical Analysis ...... 7
Conclusion.. 8
Appendix........................ 10
Bibliography...... 11

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Reyes: How prevalent is social media cyberbullying for undergraduate college students?

Introduction
Most college institutions if not all provide their students with free internet service and
access to computers. Many college classes are incorporating the endless emergence of
technology in the classroom setting for student engagement. Social media is the new way of the
world. Communication on various social media channels among undergraduate students is not
only expected but encouraged by faculty and staff. It is fascinating that it can bring everyone
together, but the circumstances are not always in the positive way social media in the college
setting is perceived to be. Social media comes with freewill by allowing anyone and everyone to
say anything they want and not everyone handles the power responsibly. Because of the growing
phenomena of social media, bullying has found its way onto various platforms. The term
cyberbullying is what is used in reference to harassment online. It is a term that many people
have heard at least once by now. Elementary school students and high school students are
strongly advised against it and encouraged to report any seen incidents. Yet, as a college junior,
though I have found cases of cyberbullying to be just as prevalent at my university, it is never
discussed. It seems to be a swept-under-the-rug topic. There are those that believe there is no
problem carrying onto college campuses in regards to social media and bullying, but research is
starting to uncover data that may prove otherwise. Researchers, such as myself, are starting to
look at this and ask themselves, Does social media enable bullying in higher level education for
undergraduate students?
Within the five aspects of communication, this research question falls under mass media.
Mass media, a type of communication reaching a large audience, has been seen in the past with
television and radio. Today, social media is the leading type of mass media. Even conversations
that are meant for two people are seen by everyone connected to the social media channel.
Because this type of communication expands to a large number of audiences, social media
enables bullies to be as effective in their motives. It takes minutes for something to go viral and
nothing is ever truly erased in cyberspace. While reaching a large number of audiences can be
used for good such as promotion and awareness, there are cases where people do not want
something to be visible to such a large number of people.
This topic is important to me because before doing brief research to discover a research
question, it never occurred to me that social media platforms could create problems for college
students such as myself. I asked a friend, Do you think people bully other people on Facebook

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Reyes: How prevalent is social media cyberbullying for undergraduate college students?

and Twitter and stuff? And she responded, No, we are in college. Everyone is pretty relaxed on
social media at this point. It is that common misinterpretation of college maturity that creates a
problem. There are misconceptions that social media past the twelfth grade is unproblematic.
Consequently, it is so important to research this topic because I want to see how prevalent
cyberbullying is for undergraduate students. There may be people falling victim to this every day,
yet it is overlooked. I know people who have switched universities because of the fear instilled
on them by bullies who utilized social media to scare current students away. We are living in this
as it is growing and the best way to combat an issue is to understand it. Even an individual that is
not in college should be concerned with the topic because maybe one day his or her child will go
to college and fall victim to bullying. College is a time where students are expected to put their
all into their education so that they can prepare for the rest of their lives. Students can be affected
by this problem, and their futures may be put on hold depending on how drastic the situation is.
Victims may even resort to extreme, harmful responses to cyberbullying considering it is a mass
media communication and the idea of a large number of people seeing humiliation is too much
for them. Social media may be the new playground for a bully and a victim.
Literature Review
Where and Why is Cyberbullying Flourishing?
Experts say that the enablers to the new form of bullying that is finding its way onto
campuses are various forms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Katie
Crosslin, PhD, and Matt Crosslin, MEd conducted research at Texas University to find out how
prevalent cyberbullying was on campus for first and second year students, who they believe to be
more likely to face cyberbullying because they are more likely to live on campus. 286 students
answered a questionnaire that included qualitative responses, or open-ended responses, to get a
better explanation of their individual experiences online. They found that 40% of the students
had something posted to a Facebook group or on their Facebook wall that made them upset
(2014, Crosslin and Crosslin). One participant wrote, They uploaded a drawn picture of me with
profanities written on it to describe me. Then, they tagged me in the picture for other people to
see. This kind of finding further strengthens their argument that college students are having
troubling experiences on social media. Furthermore, the same study found that nearly 10% of
college students were afraid to get on the computer. The experience of a college education relies
heavily on computer usage the more that society depends on technology. If college students are

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afraid to get on the computer, this could run the risk of lowered grades, especially with a mind
too distracted with fear.
Twitter is also a quickly growing form of social media for bullies to pick targets. Hailey
Ellis wrote on the online college magazine, Lala, about her own experience as a cyberbully
victim (2014). She described her experience as degrading; all of the things that she had been
proud of and felt accomplished for had started to disappear, and instead, she felt worthless. How
was Twitter a role in this? Where most accounts are public, one day Ellis was tagged in a tweet
that showed slight hostility. Not knowing who this person was, she ignored it, but it just kept
occurring. She shares a photo of a comment, Oh you study graphic design at a school in the
middle of nowhere? Please tell me how far you plan on going in life. The anonymous bully tags
her in the post to make sure Ellis sees it. Ellis states that there is anonymity on social media like
Twitter that allows bullies to feel more comfortable with being hostile. Ellis had no idea what to
do because she had no idea who was saying these hurtful things to her. Cyberbullying is different
than traditional bullying in that it allows this. Anonymity is a very important factor of this type of
bullying because without it, some bullies may not use social media for victimization, which is
why it is so important to further research it.
Why is it Appearing in Undergraduate Education?
Michelle C. Ramos, PhD and Diana C. Bennett, MS, both specializing in the field of
psychology, use their background to better understand the psychology behind cyberbullyings
growing existence on college campuses. Their psychoanalysis research suggests that college is a
time, especially for freshmen, to find a place and get involved. Colleges are the breeding ground
for controversial clubs like sororities and fraternities, where student hazing is very common
(2016). They also suggested that college is a time where more romantic relationships are formed
and broken. In a study, they found that three-quarters of the undergraduate participates reported
being a victim to electronic aggression, and much of the aggression comes from a partner in a
relationship trying to gain control. There are even websites with the sole purpose to publically
shame college students such as College Anonymous Confessions Board or College Wall of
Shame (Sturgis, 2014). Not only that, but experts have found a correlation between bully victims
who have eventually turned into the bully. In a study of 119 undergraduate college students, 70%
of the students who reported being bullied in elementary school and high school admitted to
bullying in college (Koehn, Sockman, Walker, 2011). Furthermore, Brian Van Brunt, President of

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the National Behavioral Intervention Team Association and author of the book Ending Campus
Violence: New Approaches to Prevention stated that problems do not go away after high school.
Additionally, college is a whole new experience, so if anything, the stress just further intensifies
itself (Krasselt, 2014). The topic of cyberbullying in college is not as spoken about because there
is a stigma that college provides a clean slate for everyone, yet it is very possible that students
carry over instances of bullying into their higher education experiences.
What Are The Effects Cyberbullying Has On Undergraduate Students?
Victims of cyberbullying have reported that they feel anxious, depressed or even suicidal
(Koehn, Sockman, Walker, 2011). The case of Tyler Clementi can be considered the perfect
illustration for what social media has enabled a bully to do to his victim. Clementi was a college
freshman at Rutgers University, but he hid his sexuality, too afraid of being unaccepted. Dharun
Ravi, Clementis roommate, secretly videotaped Clementi and another boy having sexual
relations in a dorm room. When Ravi revealed his plan to upload the video to Twitter, Clementis
only clear solution was to jump to his death from the George Washington Bridge. Elaine Heath,
Ph.D., dean for Student Services at Howard University, stated that reasoning skills in adolescents
do not completely form until the age of 25, making college students just as vulnerable to
handling victimization as any other student in elementary school or high school (2015). Another
study done by the University of Washington points out that a majority of the women they
surveyed were three times more likely to meet the criteria for depression if they fell victim to
cyberbullying on social media (LaMotte 2015). If it is not depression or anxiety, it is suicide.
There are long lasting effects to this easy way of victimization that is provided by social media.
Again, this reiterates the point that college students should have equal research focus on the topic
of cyberbullying.
What Does The Law Say?
Are people getting away with murder? Is it harassment or free speech to an opinion? It is
impossible to properly come up with the right laws against cyberbullying unless it is understood
more clearly. Edwina Thomas Washington, EdD, a licensed attorney with a doctorate in
Education, examines current state and federal laws addressing cyberbullying. A California
Congresswoman introduced a prevention act in 2009, making it a felony to transmit in interstate
or foreign commerce communications with intent to harass, coerce, intimidate, or cause
emotional distress to a person using an electronic means (Wegman, 2013). The law failed when

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it was not given enough support from the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. On
September 9, 2016, the conviction of bias intimidation against Dharun Ravi in the suicide of
Tyler Clementi was overturned due to a change in New Jerseys state law (Meeghan, 2016). Ravi
served twenty days behind jail bars and paid $10,000 towards programs that help victims of hate
crimes. Clementis mother has stressed that a push of a button online can be done so carelessly,
and the repercussions of that careless act are not justifiable, specifically in the case of her son.
This is something that is going to keep happening, so researching it and better understanding it
can help create more appropriate laws.
Methodology
Historical Analysis
A strong method that will hold for accurate research on the topic of social media and
cyberbullying is historical analysis because this is a phenomena that has been occurring in the
recent past and the present. Historical analysis will allow any researcher to cite past events that
reflect the topic at hand. There is a story behind every occurrence of cyberbullying and analyzing
it will give for a better understanding of who, what, when, where and most importantly, why.
Qualitative information is the gain from this methodology. For example, Holy Family University,
a small Catholic University in the Greater Northeast of Philadelphia, witnessed the troubles of
cyberbullying firsthand. At a time where Yik-Yak an anonymous social media platform where
anyone in the area can make posts was at its most popular stage, students from Holy Family
University were joining. Vulgar, upsetting comments were being shared across campus and
students were starting to feel very insecure about themselves. Sister Marcella Binkowski, Vice
President of Student Life, sent out a letter to the student body, discussing how there is no
authority the school has over what students say over social media, but it was respectfully asked
for students to represent the values of Holy Family correctly.
To do research, I will need around five weeks to compile information together across the
country about different historical events that apply to cyberbullying such as the one that
happened at Holy Family University. Access to e-mails and social media apps such as Yik-Yak
are necessary. Access to e-mails will help with finding out dates, which is significant for a
historical analysis as well because dates are variables that can be influencers to peoples actions.
Also, getting access to e-mails such as the one for Holy Family is important because original
documentation allows for more authentic facts. Checking the social media activity of students at

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the specific university will also bring forward insight into how the student interaction at the
school works. After the first couple of weeks of gathering information, I will then spend the next
couple of weeks doing comparisons with my findings. Are there any patterns? Is there a common
theme with a certain time of the year?
Interview Process
Another method I will use to conduct research on this topic is the interview process. I
find that this is a method that provides a great opportunity for qualitative response. One on one
experience will provide for more details and a less generalized idea. I found this method to be
useful during my interview with a current student at Holy Family University who shared her
freshmen year experiences at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. She had to leave the
university for various reasons, but during her time at Millersville, she faced ongoing threats on
social media by other students on campus because of her involvement in the Black Lives Matter
movement. The participants of the movement at Millersville wanted to peacefully represent an
ongoing issue hitting the United States. Other students on campus were not fond of the
movement making its way onto campus and took to social media. As a result, threatened students
were discouraged to be part of the Millersville community, some of them going as far as
transferring. This interview provided me with a firsthand situation from a student whose college
career was greatly affected by the effects of social media and its integration of cyberbullying. I
would like to spend two months conducting interviews of undergraduate college students
(preferably from around the country for more accurate results) and ask them about their
experiences with social media. I would like to first come prepared with a set of questions and
gather information based upon these questions. Then I want to compare the information, with
demographics and other variables in mind. Again, is there a pattern? Are experiences similar
depending on the region of the country?
Psychoanalytical Analysis
It is just as important to focus on the person who is bullying someone on social media in
college as opposed to just focusing on the victim. A psychoanalytical analysis works for this
because it allows the researcher to approach an individual psychologically. I will use this method
over the course of five weeks to analyze different activity on social media whenever I see
instances of cyberbullying. Does it look like the bully is acting on his ID? Is he or she acting
inappropriate and out of line because he or she wants something and bullying is how that person

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sees a way of getting that? Also, a big determinant of how bad the situation may get for online
bullying is if there is an ego present. The ego is the balance, parental influence and one with
restraint. I may find that friends of the victim step in and talk a bully down to his or her senses. I
may find that some people use defense mechanisms and avoid a situation where they see
cyberbullying occurring because they do not want to feel anxious. After five weeks, I want to be
able to look back on everything that I found and use the terms that go with psychoanalytical
analysis to better understand the thought process of anyone involved in a situation like this. This
would specifically help me answer my research question because if there is a high finding of
people that are witnessing this and avoiding it or it is found that more people act on their id
online, it may suggest that the prevalence is high on social media for undergraduate students.
Conclusion
The research found has heavily implied and supported my research hypothesis that social
media makes bullying just as prevalent in the lives of undergraduate college students as it does
with elementary school and high school students. This strengthens my likelihood of finding more
research on the topic. More research that is done qualitatively and quantitatively will provide a
well-balanced and strong argument. With historical analysis, backtracking to events that are
prevalent will show a connection. Interviews give firsthand experience that also shows a strong
connection that there is something wroth researching. A psychoanalytical analysis will allow me
to see what psychologically occurs when something like this happens on the internet. If I focus
on the keywords cyberbullying, social media and undergraduate college students, I will be able
to gather more material as well as doing my own research. Cyberbullying in an undergraduate
college setting is so crucial to research because it is causing great negative effects on the leaders
of tomorrow. A common theme in my researching findings was the comment that it is not a topic
widely explored in the college setting. The inaccurate assumption that bullying does not follow
anyone to college must end. Students like Tyler Clementi whose lives ended tragically because of
cyberbullying through social media may have thought twice about it if it was not a taboo subject.
How can improvements be made if there is no research to help understand what is going on?
Something is going on. Social media is allowing people to make decisions at the free-will of one
click. Some people may not realize how hurtful their words are on social media or the effects of
their words. If more research is done on the topic, more people will be informed. If more people
are informed, more social media users will think twice before they post something that may be

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harmful to someone else. College is a time that is supposed to prepare its students for the rest of
their lives, not push them to end it. Cyberbullying causes stress for college students who are
already undergoing much stress with environmental changes and harder course work. If there is
more research on the topic, more psychologists will be able to educate themselves and have the
proper practices to counsel those that are affected. A college counselor cannot help his or her
students without proper knowledge of the background of the issue. Social media is a form of
communication that is exponentially growing. It is going to be around for a long time, if not
forever. It will find its way into the college experience and not everyones guaranteed a positive
experience. However, those that are in need of help will be able to get that help from a society
who better understands.

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Appendix

Texas Public Health Journal, Summer2014, Vol. 66 Issue 3, p26-31, 6p Chart; found on p28

Source: Julie Luker, Educause Review: Cyberbullying within Higher Education: Are Educators Misinformed?

Source: Hailey Ellis, Lala Magazine, A Victims Story: My Experience With College Cyberbullying

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References
Crosslin, K., & Crosslin, M. (2014). Cyberbullying at a Texas University - A Mixed Methods
Approach to Examining Online Aggression. Texas Public Health Journal, 66(3), 26-31.
Ellis, H. (2015, June 1). A Victim's Story: My Experience With College Cyberbullying - the Lala.
Retrieved October 06, 2016, from http://thelala.com/experience-cyberbullying-college/
Krasselt, K. (2014, October 21). Bullying not a thing of the past for college students. Retrieved
October 06, 2016, from http://college.usatoday.com/2014/10/21/bullying-not-a-thing-of-
the-past-for-college-students/
Lacherza, N., & Conti, R. P. (2013). Cyberbullying: The New Phenomenon. College Of St.
Elizabeth Journal Of The Behavioral Sciences, 1-39.
LaMotte, S. (2015, March 3). The health risks of cyberbullying in college. Retrieved October 06,
2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/02/health/cyberbullying-in-college/
McGeehan, P. (2016, September 9). Conviction Thrown Out for Ex-Rutgers Student in Tyler
Clementi Case. Retrieved October 6, 2016, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/nyregion/conviction-thrown-out-for-rutgers-student-
in-tyler-clementi-case.html
Ramos, M. C., & Bennett, D. C. (2016). Cyberbullying: Who Hurts, and Why. Psychiatric Times,
33(1), 20-25.
Sturgis, I. (2014, March 8). HIGH-TECH BULLIES. Chronicle of Higher Education. pp. 19-23.
Walker, C. M., Sockman, B. R., & Koehn, S. (2011). An Exploratory Study of Cyberbullying
with Undergraduate University Students. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To
Improve Learning, 55(2), 31-38. doi:10.1007/s11528-011-0481-0
Washington, E. T. (2015). An Overview of Cyberbullying in Higher Education. Adult Learning,
26(1), 21-27. doi:10.1177/1045159514558412

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