Bystanding or standing by? How the number of bystanders affects the intention to intervene in cyberbullying

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12656296
AutoresMagdalena Obermaier (0000-0002-3055-3744, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, autor de correspondencia), Nayla Fawzi (0000-0002-5580-452X, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany), Thomas Koch (0000-0002-6021-6140, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany)
Año2014
Volumen18
Número8
Páginas1491-1507
Fecha de publicación2014-12-11
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1461444814563519
OpenAlexW2057608122
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas68
Referencias citadas45

This study examines the bystander effect in cyberbullying. On the basis of two experiments, we test whether individuals who witness cyberbullying are less willing to intervene when the number of others who have already observed the incident is increased. In addition, we inquire how differently severe cyberbullying incidents affect bystanders’ intention to intervene. Our results show that a very severe cyberbullying incident boosts individuals’ intention to intervene, mediated by the assessment of the situation as emergency and, in turn, by an increased feeling of responsibility. However, if there is a larger number of bystanders in a cyberbullying incident, rather than just a few, participants feel less responsible to help, and thus, they are less willing to intervene

Affect (linguistics · Bystander effect · Feeling · Helping behavior · Political science · Test (biology · Witness · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Communication · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Psychology · Social Psychology · Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment