Blocking and Self-Silencing: Undergraduate Students’ Cyberbullying Victimization and Coping Strategies

Abstract

Cyberbullying is an emerging equity issue in American higher education with well-documented social, psychological, and academic consequences. Unfortunately, while higher education leaders are grappling with how to respond to cyberbullying victimization among students, their efforts are hindered by the lack of consensus on how to measure victimization or what support strategies to provide. The purpose of this paper is to explore the cyberbullying experiences of a diverse sample of undergraduate students. Using a validated measure of victimization among a sample of 459 undergraduates at a research university in the American Mid-Atlantic, nearly three out of five respondents reported having been previously victimized by a cyberbully. While universities have a duty to support victims and provide a learning environment free from harassment, this study found that students do not turn to their campus faculty and staff for support. Instead college student victims adopt technical coping strategies (e.g., block the bully, adjust privacy settings) which may further isolate them from their online communities and entrusts social media companies to resolve the situation. Contributions poses the connection between coping strategies and self-censoring in online courses.