Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement in the Transition from Cybergossip to Cyberaggression: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The internet is an area where young people establish relationships and develop socially, emotionally and morally, but it also gives rise to certain forms of online behaviour, such as cybergossip, which are associated with cyberaggression and other risky behaviour. The aims of this study were to verify whether a longitudinal association exists between cybergossip and cyberaggression, and to discover which mechanisms of moral disengagement may mediate this relationship. The final sample consisted of 1392 students (50% girls; Mage = 13.47; SD = 0.77), who were surveyed in a three-wave longitudinal study at six-month intervals. The results obtained confirmed a direct, positive relationship between cybergossip, subsequent cyberaggression and the mediation exerted by cognitive restructuring in this transition. We discuss the importance of recognizing and detecting the fine distinction between online gossip and cyberaggression with the intention of doing harm, and focus on the justifications used by young people to normalize online bullying. To sum up, there is a clear need to encourage ethical, responsible behaviour in online interactions in order to achieve well-balanced, more sustainable relationships in classrooms.

Adolescent Involvement in Cybergossip: Influence on Social Adjustment, Bullying and Cyberbullying

“…The results indeed showed that adolescents with a high level of involvement in cybergossip were more involved in bullying, victimization, cyberbullying and cybervictimization. These results confirm previous studies that have shown that cybergossip promoted the development of bullying, which can subsequently turn into cyberbullying behavior in online environments (Falla et al, 2021; López-Pradas et al, 2017; Romera, Ortega-Ruiz et al, 2021). These results may be explained because a higher and intense use of social networking use and instant messaging leads adolescents to be more involved in risky behaviors (Craig et al, 2020).…”

“…Studies about social networking site use recognize their detrimental and beneficial effects in social relationships (Krause et al, 2021). The study of cybergossip has been linked to social behavior strategies (Falla et al, 2021). Gossip may provide the group with information about individuals who do not comply with established norms, and it can also help to praise and reinforce the behavior of individuals belonging to that group.…”

Moral disengagement mechanisms predict cyber aggression among emerging adults

“…Moral justification has been shown to predict cyber aggression (Pornari & Wood, 2010), euphemistic labeling is positively related to bullying (Thornberg & Jungert, 2014), and advantageous comparison has been linked to aggression among adolescents (M. . When examined as a cluster, these mechanisms have been found to predict cyberbullying perpetration (Romera et al, 2021) and mediate the relationship between cyber gossip and cyber aggression among adolescents (Falla et al, 2021). Thus, these three mechanisms are likely to be positively associated with some forms of cyber aggression in an emerging adult sample.…”

“…Although there is ample evidence that overall moral disengagement (i.e., a composite of the eight mechanisms), as well as the four strategy clusters, predict several morally transgressive behaviors, relatively little is known about whether specific mechanisms have distinct correlates (Falla et al, 2020;Marin-Lopez et al, 2020;Nocera et al, 2020;Runions & Bak, 2015). Researchers have highlighted differences between the moral disengagement mechanisms (Falla et al, 2020(Falla et al, , 2021Runions et al, 2019;Thornberg & Jungert, 2014), suggesting that evaluating them individually may provide a more accurate understanding of their role. Thus, we sought to determine whether specific moral disengagement mechanisms were related to different forms of cyber aggression in somewhat different ways.…”

Haters Gonna Hate, Trolls Gonna Troll: The Personality Profile of a Facebook Troll

“…The key aspects of trolling are deception, aggression, disruptive online activities and a sense of accomplishment when trolls get attention from others. Trolling shares similarities with cyberbullying [ 4 ] because both involve aggressive online behavior, but their targets vary, as trolls aim to create disruption among strangers, but cyberbullies target victims they know personally [ 5 ]. Internet trolling is a surprisingly common behavior, as up to a quarter of Americans admit having committed malicious online activity against a stranger [ 6 ], 33% in Malaysia [ 7 ], 11% in Hungary [ 8 ], and 3% had experienced some sort of online bullying, as reported in a review of victim surveys in Europe (Sweden, UK, The Netherlands, Germany, France and Luxembourg) [ 9 ].…”