RISING CONCERNS AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS FROM CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

Taking on the cyberbullying epidemic:

Bullies, Bullied, and Bystanders: Advancing Knowledge, Understanding, and Practice in Education Dublin, Ireland

9-10, June 2016

KAREN FREBERG (UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, USA)

@KFREBERG &

SABRINA PAGE (WALTER STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, USA)

@SPAGE2

@kfreberg & @spage2

AGENDA

▸  Introductions

▸  Overview of the current state of cyberbullying

▸  Literature Review

▸  Challenges and obstacles in cyberbullying in the 21st century

▸  Connection to crisis communication / Rise of new challenges

▸  Discussions and Future Steps

▸  Q&As

CRISES AS “A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE BASIC STRUCTURES OR THE FUNDAMENTAL VALUES AND NORMS OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM, WHICH – UNDER TIME PRESSURE AND HIGHLY UNCERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES – NECESSITATES MAKING CRITICAL DECISIONS.”

Rosenthal & Kuzmin, 1997, p.280

@kfreberg & @spage2

A PANDEMIC ON THE RISE

CURRENT STATE OF CYBERBULLYING

AN OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF CYBERBULLYING

‣  Embracing new emerging communication technologies has both provided new benefits as well as risks to the global society.

‣  One of these risks is one that is seen in context numerous times offline and now online, which is bullying.

‣  There are many circumstances in which bullying can occur in various contexts and its impact felt not only by the individual but those around them.

‣  Recognizing the long term impact of bullying and cyberbullying specifically, this exploratory paper examines the impact of the rising concern of cyberbullying among young teenagers and adults.

This presentation and paper will attempt to tie in the cyberbullying literature with the crisis communication literature to help address current challenges, offer best practices, and forecast

future implications to practice and research.

@kfreberg & @spage2

AN OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF CYBERBULLYING

‣  TEACHING CHILDREN TO BULLY

‣  INTERNET AND RISE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

‣  RISE OF MOBILE MESSAGING APPS FOR CYBERBULLYING

@kfreberg & @spage2

@kfreberg & @spage2

RISE OF MOBILE APPS FOR CYBERBULLYING

▸  YIKYAK ▸  Check ins that are anonymous

▸  Rise of use on college campuses + schools

▸  Used to engage with students proactively in some cases

▸  PEEPLE ▸  “Yelp for Peeple”

▸  Rate people just with phone numbers

▸  Can’t take down unless the person who wrote the review takes it down

▸  Recommendations instead of Ratings of people due to backlash

@kfreberg & @spage2

RISE OF MOBILE APPS FOR CYBERBULLYING

▸  SNAPCHAT ▸  Rising Mobile messaging app

where content “disappears”

▸  Screen shots and stories / Google does not forget

▸  Direct messaging / Rise of one to one and many-to-one cyber bullying activities

▸  Indirect cyberbullying (FOMO + feeling lonely /not part of the story)

@kfreberg & @spage2

RISE OF MOBILE APPS FOR CYBERBULLYING

▸  GLOBAL APPS ▸  WhatsApp

▸  Line

▸  WeChat

▸  Viber

▸  Facebook Messenger

▸  Skype

▸  USA APPS ▸  Instagram

▸  Snapchat

▸  People

▸  YikYak

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

APPLICABLE CONNECTION TO

@kfreberg & @spage2

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS ‣  CYBERBULLYING & CRISIS MANAGEMENT

‣  Crisis communication and social media research becoming an established area .

‣  Rise of social media to formulate opportunities, but raise challenges.

‣  Establishes identity, reputation, and communities (Kietzmann et al, 2011).

‣  Reputations are at risk due to being “intangibles” & influenced by perceptions of others (Ott & Theunissen, 2015).

‣  Emotional support & venting (Brummette & Sisco, 2015).

‣  Reactions differ on social media depending on situation and community (Gaspar et al 2016).

@kfreberg & @spage2

DEVELOPING A RISK COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

‣  RCS 1. Inform or educate people about the risks and provide examples of those risks.

‣  RCS 2. Behavior Change and Protective Action. Encouraging individual risk-reduction behavior and to motivate people to take action when they see something.

‣  RCS 3. Warnings and Emergency Information. Provide direction and behavioral guidance should they see something.

‣  RCS 4. Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution. Involving the community in risk management decisions that aid in resolving health and safety

‣  RCS 5. Measure and listen in real time for early warning signs in case this happens again to communities offline and online.

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

@kfreberg & @spage2

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ‣  EDUCATION IS KEY FOR ENGAGING AND

INFORMING ALL PARTIES INVOLVED. ‣  Continued efforts to create bridges for

audiences globally on the rising challenges, opportunities, and best practices in handling this epidemic.

‣  MOBILE WILL CONTINUE TO RISE AS A DOMINANT MEDIUM AND CHANNEL FOR POTENTIAL RISKS AND CHALLENGES FOR CYBER BULLYING.

‣  Continue in popularity and challenges due to encryption, secretly , and privacy issues.

‣  RISE OF THE EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSEQUENCES OF EXPERIENTIAL MEDIA (EX. OCULUS RIFT AND VR, MICROSOFT HOLOLENS, ETC)

@kfreberg & @spage2

RESOURCES

  Common Sense Media. (2016, March 1). 16 apps and websites kids are heading to after Facebook.

Retrieved from

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/16-apps-and-websites-kids-are-heading-to-after-facebook

‣ Pew Research Center (2016, January). Parents, teens, and digital monitoring. Retrieved from http://

www.pewinternet.org/2016/01/07/parents-teens-and-digital-monitoring/.

‣ Pew Research Center (2016, February). “Smartphone Ownership and Internet usage continues to

climb in emerging economies.”

‣ Pew Research Center (2016, March). “Digital Life in 2025” Available at

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/digital-life-in-2025/

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?