This research project had two main goals: (1) Can we determine what will make a participant intervene in an online bullying situation? and (2) What type of techniques do participants use to intervene? While participating in a live Facebook discussion, in which two confederates created a bully–victim dynamic, we recorded and observed participants' responses. Participants also filled out a series of questionnaires including a general Facebook usage and attitude survey, a questionnaire on the discussion, the Big Five Inventory (BFI), Davis's Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Scale. We found individuals high in empathy, high in extroversion, and with positive attitudes toward the homosexual community were more likely to intervene. We also recorded a number of different techniques for intervention. Overall, the predictive personal characteristics remained consistent from past bystander research, but the unique nature of online bullying and prejudice has created an environment for more diverse intervention strategy use.
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