Bystanding or standing by? How the number of bystanders affects the intention to intervene in cyberbullying

Obermaier, Magdalena; Fawzi, Nayla and Koch, Thomas (2016): Bystanding or standing by? How the number of bystanders affects the intention to intervene in cyberbullying. In: New Media & Society, Vol. 18, No. 8: pp. 1491-1507

Abstract

This study examines the bystander effect in cyberbullying. On the basis of two experiments, we test whether individuals who witness cyberbullying are less willing to intervene when the number of others who have already observed the incident is increased. In addition, we inquire how differently severe cyberbullying incidents affect bystanders' intention to intervene. Our results show that a very severe cyberbullying incident boosts individuals' intention to intervene, mediated by the assessment of the situation as emergency and, in turn, by an increased feeling of responsibility. However, if there is a larger number of bystanders in a cyberbullying incident, rather than just a few, participants feel less responsible to help, and thus, they are less willing to intervene.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Form of publication: Publisher's Version
• Faculties: Social Sciences > Communication
• Subjects: 000 Computer science, information and general works > 070 News media, journalism and publishing
• ISSN: 1461-4448
• Alliance/National Licence: This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.
• Language: English