Factors influencing negative cyber-bystander behavior: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Cyber-aggression is global epidemic affecting citizens of cyberspace, without regards to physical, geographical and time constraints. Recent research has identified the significant role of cyber-bystanders in exacerbating and de-escalating incidents on cyber-aggression they come across. Additionally, frequent exposure to cyber-aggression is found to have been associated with negative effects on participants of cyber-aggression, ranging from self-esteem problems to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, and in the worst cases even suicidal behaviors and ideation. Moreover, past research had also identified that negative bystanders could potentially become aggressors themselves. Therefore, the current review is aimed at uncovering the common themes and factors that drive individuals to resort to negative bystander behavior. Hence, a systematic literature review using the PRISMA framework was carried out, involving articles published between January 2012 to March 2022, on online databases such as SCOPUS, Science Direct, SAGE Journals, Web of Science, and Springer Link. Results obtained through the synthesis of 27 selected articles, were grouped into three categories, namely situational factors, personal factors and social influence. Upon further synthesis of the results, it was noted that many of the factors had interacted with each other. Thus, practical suggestion for prevention and future research would include addressing these interactions in preventative methodologies and research interests.

Toxic sensation seeking? Psychological distress, cyberbullying, and the moderating effect of online disinhibition among adults

“…Also, this relationship might also be subject to victim's response to cyber‐aggressions (Holfeld, 2014). A review of other possible personal (e.g., perceived harm or rewards; lack of problem‐solving skills; low empathy; moral disengagement) and situational factors (e.g., cyberspace characteristics such as lack of clear rules, the privacy of incident, or anonymity; feelings of enjoyment while witnessing the events) that might explain our findings are detailed by Jeyagobi, Munusamy, Kamaluddin, Ahmad Badayai & Kumar (2022).…”

A Study of the Bystander Effect in Different Helping Situations

“…These results imply that the bystander effect can differ depending on the setting and that bystander behavior can be influenced by situation-specific factors. The effect of social identification on the bystander effect was the subject of another study [15]. According to the study, people who strongly associated with a social group were more inclined to step in to help a victim who also belonged to that group in an emergency.…”

Relational aggression in romantic relationship: empirical evidence among young female adults in Malaysia

“…Emotional abuse is also a common form of abuse in romantic relationships [ 5 ]. The online dating scam is another alarming form of dating violence that can result in financial loss and severe emotional and psychological suffering ( 6 – 7 ). Relational aggression is a form of non-physical and covert aggression, involves threatening others by manipulating and acting to jeopardize romantic relationships [ 8 ].…”