Cyberbullying through the lens of social influence: Predicting cyberbullying perpetration from perceived peer-norm, cyberspace regulations and ingroup processes

an article by Valentina Piccoli, Andrea Carnaghi, Michele Grassi and Marta Stragà (University of Trieste, Italy) and Mauro Bianchi (Lusófona University, ISCTE-Lisbon University Institute, Italy) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 102 (January 2020)

Highlights

• The study focuses on the relation between group-norms and cyber-bullying perpetration.
• The lower the level of cyberspace regulations the higher the levels of cyber-bullying.
• In-group identification moderates the relation between group-norms and cyber-bullying.
• In-group prototypicality moderates the relation between group-norms and cyber-bullying.

Abstract
In the present research we analysed the social influence mechanisms that back the relation between peer group norms regarding cyber-bullying behaviours and individual cyber-bullying perpetration.

In a sample of adolescents (N = 3511, age: M = 16.27, SD = 1.58), we showed that the relation between perceived peer-norm and cyber-bullying perpetration was moderated by two distinct social influence mechanisms. Specifically, when individuals' lack of knowledge regarding appropriate behaviours in cyberspace (i.e., cyberspace regulations), levels of perceived peer-norm regarding cyber-bullying behaviours positively influence the participants' engagement in cyber-bullying perpetration (i.e., informational social influence).

Moreover, we showed that the higher the support of perceived peer-norm regarding cyber-bullying behaviours the higher the levels of cyber-bullying perpetration, especially for the higher (vs. lower) levels of identification with peers as the in-group; this relation was additionally enhanced at increasing levels of adolescents' in-group prototypicality (i.e., referential informative social influence).

The results demonstrated that the two social influence mechanisms work independently and likely contribute to predict participants’ engagement in cyber-bullying perpetration. Results are discussed with respect to the current literature regarding the social influence mechanisms underlying cyber-bullying. The implications of these findings for practical interventions are explored.

Full text (PDF 14pp)

Labels:
cyber-bullying. social_influence, social_identity, peer-norm, identification, prototypicality,

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