Cyberbullying and Bullying: Main Differences Between These Two Problems

Bullying, also called bullying, is a problem that is increasingly worrying society, especially in the school environment.

He bullying (also called bullying), is a problem that increasingly worries society, especially in the school environment. Currently, it is considered a serious problem that entails negative consequences for both the victim and the person themselves. aggressor (Salmivalli, 2010). Although new technologies have represented a great revolution, they have also produced a change in the way of communicating and, therefore, have generated changes in social problems such as, for example, bullying. Abuse between peers is not a current problem, but it is true that the ways in which bullying occurs have changed over time and new ways of bullying have emerged. One of these forms is known as cyberbullying (either cyber bullying ) and it is that type of harassment that occurs over the internet.

Both bullying and cyberbullying generate psychological consequences for the victim, the harasser and the observers. If you want to know what bullying is about and how it differs from cyberbullying, keep reading this article.

What is bullying?

The word bullying It is a term that comes from the English word “bull” which means “bull”, a strong animal that can attack smaller and weaker ones. According to some authors (Avilés, 2006; Olweus, 1978,1998,2003; Ortega, 1992; Solberg, 2003), the school bullying refers to a type of abuse between equals that occurs in shared school spaces for long periods of time, in which situations of submission and domination are generated. In this abuse The aggressor exercises abusive power behavior towards the victims, generating serious health problems both emotionally and physically due to continually experiencing violent situations, thus leaving the victim with no option to defend himself.

According to Del Rey and Ortega (2007), bullying was considered a type of interpersonal violence within the school environment. “The two laws that maintained bullying were: the law of silence (victim and spectator remain silent for fear of retaliation or because they feel it is someone else’s problem) and the law of dominance and submission” (Ortega, 1998).

In traditional bullying the different ways to harass They can be direct and indirect (Ericson, 2001; Limber & Nation, 1998; Olweus, 1978; Tattum, 1989). In relation to direct harassment, there is a distinction, on the one hand, between physical violence with the intention of causing harm and physical injury (hitting, pushing and spitting) and on the other hand verbal violence in order to generate emotional damage in the victim (insults, rumors, ridicule). Indirect aggression clearly differs from the previous one because it is more subtle, carried out through acts of manipulation (extorting, threatening and socially excluding the victim with the aim of achieving their isolation) (Ortega-Ruiz, 1997; Olweus, 1989). ; Mendoza, 2014).

Another way of bullying refers to gender differences; Some studies found that there were certain relationships between gender and the different ways to harass Adolescent males used physical violence more and were more involved in issues related to harassment, while females were more likely to use physical violence. verbal attacks indirect through gossip, social exclusion, or spreading rumors (Guerra et al., 2011).

Studies have shown that boys tended to be more aggressive than girls, which is understood thanks to the social reinforcement that encourages them to express a hostile and aggressive attitude towards their peers (Taquette et al., 2003).

What is cyberbullying?

Apart from the traditional forms of harassment, with the appearance of new technologies, a new form of intimidation appears, the cyberbullying (Kowalski, Schoroeder, Giumetti and Lattaner, 2014). According to Mendoza (2014) the cyberbullying has the purpose of generating constant and permanent damage in which the aggressor uses a false identity to avoid being identified by the victim keeping it at a level of total helplessness.

He cyber bullying It is nothing more than an extension of traditional bullying, which is carried out through electronic means such as instant messages, phone calls, emails, photos, social networks, embarrassing images and rumors on personal websites, with the intention of causing harm. to another person through repeated hostile behavior, including different forms of aggression, such as the intentional exclusion of the victim from all groups and social networks, making use of offensive and malicious messages, denigration through the spread of false rumors with the purpose of harming the victim, impersonation by impersonating them to put them in the spotlight, revealing and disseminating secrets or images on the cyber victim’s networks (Castañeda Vázquez et al., 2020; Elipe Muñoz, 2017; Ordóñez and Prado Cabrera, 2019).

What is the difference between bullying and cyberbullying?

According to Bartlett (2019), there are four characteristics that differentiate it from traditional bullying:

1. Anonymity: The first characteristic is anonymity, used so that the victim in question never detects who was responsible for these harmful attacks, since many of the harassers use names, addresses and false social network accounts, thus hiding their own identity.
2. Power asymmetry: The second refers to the asymmetry of power as there is no direct contact between the cyber aggressor and the cyber victim.
3. Permanence and repetition of attacks: The third characteristic refers to the permanence and repetition over time of these attacks, so a publication sent by the aggressor could be seen and commented on by the majority of his peers.
4. Contact between victim and harasser: Finally, the fourth characteristic shows how, unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying does not present any type of physical contact. Therefore, the harasser, by not having the victim present, does not feel guilty for the damage he is inflicting on her, so he does not believe he is harassing anyone (Starbuck, 2018).

In summary, in cyberbullying the possibility of escaping the attack is zero, since the cyber aggressor can carry out the attack at any time, which is presented with the characteristic “24/7” (possibility of attacking the victim at any time , 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), always remaining hidden thanks to anonymity and having the possibility of having a larger audience (Gradinger, Strohmeier and Spiel, 2010; Ortega-Ruiz, Del Rey and Casas, 2016; Starbuck, 2018) .

It has been proven that the fact of being involved in any matter related to cyberbullying, was closely linked to the fact of living in a traditional bullying situation, the same thing not happening on the contrary; Therefore, if a teenager was being a victim of traditional bullying, he had a high probability of becoming a bully. cyber attacker either cyber victim Therefore, according to Ybarra and Mitchell (2004), information communication technologies play a compensatory role for what cannot be done face to face (Ordóñez and Prado Cabrera, 2019).

Although both problems have different characteristics, the reality is that both cyberbullying and traditional bullying generate serious consequences, not only for the victim but also for the aggressor and those who witness the abuse. Some of these consequences can be anxiety, low self-esteem and even depression or post-traumatic stress. If you find yourself in any of these situations, it is recommended that you ask a professional for help so that they can offer you the help you need.