SOCIAL MEDIA BULLYING EXPERIENCES AND COPYING MECHANISMS AMONG THE SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH POPULATION

Abstract

Despite its crucial role in enhancing communication, social media has come with a host of unwanted actions as citizens converge on a less regulated cyberspace. Bullying has been one of the unintended consequences of social media usage, especially among the youth population. This study explored bullying experiences on social media and its effects on youth in selected King Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality areas of South Africa. The study used a mixed methods approach where data was collected using questionnaires and in-depth interviews from a sample of 115 questionnaire participants consisting of youth aged 18-35, and 5 participants for in-depth interviews. Findings revealed that social media bullying mainly manifests through rude messages from fake accounts on social media accounts, as well as being called by nasty names such as loser and idiot; being heavily criticised for posts on social media platforms; false rumours on social media platforms; and sharing of sexually explicit pictures without the victims’ consent. Feeling upset, anxiety, depression and loss of self-confidence were found to be the leading effects of bullying on social media platforms. Online vigilance, security and privacy consciousness, and psycho-social support from the family were regarded as the copying mechanisms for social media bullying.

Keywords

• cyberbullying
• cyberspace
• social media
• youth