ABSTRACT
It is a rare individual who is unfamiliar with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), such as mobile phones, laptops, and the like. Technology has changed the social fabric of people’s lives, in both good ways and bad. While ICTs have facilitated the rapid exchange of communication, enhanced educational opportunities, and enhanced communication across great distances, they have not come without costs, most notably cyberbullying (Cassidy, Faucher & Jackson, 2013; Kowalski, Giumetti, Schroeder & Lattanner, 2014; Livingstone, Haddon, Gorzig & Olafsson, 2011). Indeed, some have stated that cyberbullying “is the most common online risk factor kids face” (Palfrey, boyd & Sacco, 2010). The occurrence of cyberbullying is not all that surprising given the widespread use of technology among youth and adults. Understanding the phenomenon of cyberbullying, however, including how to define it and how it is similar to and different from traditional bullying, has proven a bit more difficult, as will be discussed in the pages that follow.
