Abstract
Cyberbullying malice is more a socio-psychological issue in developing countries like India. The kinds of virtual offences indirectly through cyberbullying and the toll on the various segments of society are concentrated to bring attention to the increasing maladaptive consequences of the virtual offences. The chapter concentrates on the direct and indirect methods of consistent evolution in the methods of virtually offensive practices against children, adolescents, school students, college students, and women in general. The chapter highlights the methods of cyberbullying happening across developing countries like India. It also describes the catalytic factors leading to virtual offences committed online and their nature, evolution, impact, and intensity on the victims' psyche across developing countries like India.
TopIntroduction
Increased usages of online social media platforms by younger generations are creating Socio-Psychological issues that endanger teen mental health. (Porhola M. 2016). The virtual offences through these social media platforms have now become the crucial escalating factor for depleting the socio-psychological health of the younger generation. The young and vibrant generation is considered as social wealth for any country. The young generation is negatively impacted by virtual offences like cyberbullying, which has phenomenally increased in developing countries like India. The damages are more to the growing younger population (Kuttler A, La Greca A, Prinstein M1999). Ubiquitousness in the variety of social media to interact and express, cheaper digital gadgets, seamless connectivity makes interaction in social media very attractive for the younger generation. Availability of a plethora of public forums and online social media platforms in developing countries like India are now the primary platforms to self-express or participate or opinionate about their individuality, and are the most sought after platform for the younger population (Pepler D, Rubin K1991). The modalities are aplenty, and hence indulgence in cyberspace is very high like the developing countries like India (Rootman I,2001). Increased indulgence naturally have brought in the issues of online bullying or cyberbullying either for fun, to troll or by other subtle means. Since virtual space is huge and ubiquitous, virtual offences too have gained prominence among the young population. Especially the social issues due to cyberbullying abuse is very high in proportion in the teenage group. Various research studies in India points out that, 8 out of 10 teens in India had been the victims of one of another kind of online harassment (Due P, Holstein BE, Lynch J, Diderichsen F, Gabhain SN, Scheidt P, et al.2005). The younger generations across the world set the online trend of expression of public opinions, create platforms for debates for self-expression, thereby exposing themselves to the world. This increases their presence in social networking and video tours and amplifies larger spaces to make multiple online connections to a variety of social media platforms. Since the online platforms are with unique features, of late they are the full-time entertainers in the world where the younger generations are spending time virtually even with their kith and kin (Kshirsagar VY, Agarwal R, Bavdekar SB.2007). The social media platforms are now the primary source to express or virtually contact for any matters be it official personal. Most of the e-learning platforms have amplified positive views on being on social media platforms. Hence although the advantages are huge, the malice like virtual bullying or virtual offences that impacts the psyche of the innocent young generation victims have added the problems even to class, caste, gender and even the looks are picked on (Coie J, Dodge K. 1998).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Stress: When the individual experience that is unexpected and new and it threatens the sense of self or when the person loses control over the situation.
Digital Addiction: This is an impulse control disorder that involves the obsessive usage of digital platforms, the internet, online games, and online social networking platforms.
Culture: The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people (e.g., workers in an organization) or society.
Digital Age: In other words, it is called the Information age, since the introduction of the personal computer with subsequent technology introduced that facilitates the transfer of information freely.
Perpetrator: Any person who carries out a harmful, illegal, or immoral act in an organization or within any premises.
Values: Values are defined as generalized, enduring beliefs about the personal and social desirability that can be meaningfully employed at cultural, societal, institutional, organizational, group, and individual.
Cyberbullying: A persistent pattern of mistreating (Chatman & John, 1994 AU44: The in-text citation "Chatman & John, 1994" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ) by causing either physical or emotional harm. It also includes various tactics by using verbal, non-verbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliating for bullying employee including all these electronically.
Virtual Offence: Crimes with the means of a computer, or virtual crimes that equates to cybercrimes that are committed against a computer.