The Darker Sides of the Internet: Violence, Cyber Bullying, and Victimization

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the darker sides of the Internet and other technologies – their potential for violence, aggression, and victimization of young people. Concerns about violent media content are not new, and research on earlier visual media forms such as television and films and that on newer interactive media such as video games reveals that violent media content does lead to increases in violent and aggressive behavior. In addition to providing access to content, new digital media provide opportunities for interactions and consequently pose new challenges, such as aggressive and hostile interactions at the hands of peers and adults. This chapter examines the many different forms of online violence and aggression. After reviewing the findings of extant research on violence in media (e.g., television, video games, etc.), the chapter focuses on three categories of online aggression: (1) violence in web sites and other online content, (2) interactive online games with violent content, (3) online interactions that are aggression-tinged, including cyber bullying and online sexual solicitation and victimization. For each category, we describe the online landscape or interaction and then examine its impact on adolescents’ lives.