Abstract
Offering the world countless remarkable benefits, computer mediated communication has become an essential feature of modern life. However, it has also become a medium for personal aggression and abuse of diverse kinds. The discourse of online vilification has been the topic of much research, for instance on the behaviour of trolls. This study focuses on a little researched phenomenon, the discourse of cyberbullying, in particular a subtype, cybermobbing, in which a group of participants gather online to attack an individual over a period of time. The study takes up an example of such participants who joined a Facebook group dedicated to abusing a prominent sportsman. The purpose of the study is to identify the chief discourse characteristics of cybermobbing that bind the participants together. The analysis reveals a high degree of solidarity among the participants expressed through profanity, humour, and play. The results will also throw light on the mentality of those who engage in cybermobbing.
Highlights
The internet has transformed human society with its many and vast benefits
This study focuses on a little researched phenomenon, the discourse of cyberbullying, in particular a subtype, cybermobbing, in which a group of participants gather online to attack an individual over a period of time
The study takes up an example of such participants who joined a Facebook group dedicated to abusing a prominent sportsman
Summary
The internet has transformed human society with its many and vast benefits. One such benefit is computer-mediated communication (CMC), a tool totally indispensable for efficiency of work and a necessity for numerous forms of social encounter. As commonly lamented today, the internet has become a place for people to attack one another. It was not long after the founding of the World Wide Web in 1989, for example, that disruptive behaviour became evident. Hardaker (2010), who was writing about trolling in asynchronous CMC, adds the following reflection: “... It will be seen that these words have particular significance for the present study
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