Cyberbullying through the new media: Findings from an international networkByPeter K.Smith & GeorgesSteffgen (Eds.) Florence, KY: Psychology Press, 2014. $48.95, ISBN: 978‐1‐84872‐254‐5

Abstract

The book, Cyberbullying through the new media: Findings from an international network, is an excellent resource for any professional interested in understanding cyberbullying. The book reflects the work of a commendable project financed by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), spanning 4 years in 28 European countries, with affiliations in Australia. This international collaboration has generated a wealth of knowledge, fostered training opportunities for emerging scholars, developed vital networking around the world and across disciplines, and empowered youth. The book is organized into six parts (each made up of a number of chapters): an introduction, four parts addressing important topics essential to developing an understanding of cyberbullying, and a final commentary section. The introduction (Part 1) begins with a brief review of cyberbullying and the research undertaken by COST. In Part 2, the authors review the existing literature on cyberbullying. This is a daunting task given the current lack of agreement on how cyberbullying should be defined and measured. Although these authors are not the first to provide a comprehensive review of research on cyberbullying (see Kowalski, Limber, & Agatston, 2012), they do provide direction in how we should conceptualize this phenomenon based on the results of qualitative research conducted by members of this international group. However, the authors recognize that the conceptualization and measurement of cyberbullying will reflect the research questions examined by different researchers. Therefore, details on various measures are offered to guide other researchers in selecting psychometrically sound instruments suitable for conducting research on cyberbullying depending on the design and intentions of the proposed research. In Part 3, the authors provide an intriguing discussion of international perspectives on the criminalization of cyberbullying, the role of industry (e.g., Internet providers, mobile phone companies, social networking sites, etc.) in reducing victimization in the virtual spaces, and the role of media in reporting and constructing cyberbullying. This discussion extends into Part 4, where various authors discuss the prevention of cyberbullying and helping victimized youth. As acknowledged by the commentators, a joint effort involving the industry, schools/teachers, parents, and students will be needed to effectively reduce and prevent cyberbullying. The respective contributors in Parts 3 and 4 provide strong recommendations for programmes and policies relevant to ensuring the safety and well-being of children and adolescents (and emerging adults as well). Next, Part 5, entitled ‘Research challenges,’ consists of chapters on a range of topics. First, research on university students’ experiences of cyberbullying is reviewed with suggestions for policy development, training, interventions strategies, and future research. Subsequent chapters cover some very exciting contributions from the COST project on cyberbullying. This includes research on the positive uses of the new technologies revealing innovative ways of improving young people's online and offline social interactions. I wholeheartedly agree with these researchers that we cannot remove young people from their cyber worlds and that it could be harmful to restrict their use of cyber media. Thus, developing programmes that maximize the benefits and minimize the dangers of using new technologies is necessary to reduce and prevent cyberbullying. The researchers also highlight the importance of adult competence in online interactions and modelling good citizenship in online social contexts. An ambitious proposal is outlined in Part 5 for how research on cyberbullying should proceed. Specifically, this proposal stresses the importance of youth understanding other young people's perspectives of their interactions in online social contexts. This proposed programme of research would involve multi-disciplinary teams around the world, include youth, and support emerging scholars. Professionals and parents would also be involved in implementing policies and programmes that reflect results of qualitative and quantitative research that is ‘youth-centred and youth-driven’ (p. 209). While involving youth as co-researchers can empower young people, this type of research seems complicated as it deviates from, and challenges, traditional research practices. Researchers willing to take on such an ambitious project may want to familiarize themselves with youth participatory action research (see examples in Cammarota & Fine, 2008). Part 5 ends with a chapter illustrating how this COST project encouraged training of emerging scholars. Specially, two ‘Training Schools’ are described in terms of organization, implementation, and outcomes. Clearly, this international collaboration has facilitated the necessary mentorship between new researchers and more established scholars that should promote the sustainability of high quality research on cyberbullying. Throughout this book, the various authors pose thought-provoking questions with interesting answers that often leave the reader with more relevant questions to ponder in regards to the study of cyberbullying. Exciting and challenging directions are proposed that will take collaborative work to meet these challenges effectively.