Article Review #1: Cyberbullying on Social Media
Maxwell Vinson
School of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity and the Social Sciences
Dr. Jordan Quinn
2/24/2026
2
Introduction/BLUF
The article from Cybersecurity looks at cybersecurity through social media. The article
gets into many It explores many studies done to help try and understand different patterns or
challenges in cyberbullying. The main purpose of this article was to show that cyberbullying is a
serious problem that is harming people mentally, and all of this is difficult to track and study
making it harder to understand its actual impact.
Relation/Connection to Social Science Principles
The article connects to social science since it studies human behavior online and how
people interact with each other. It relates to many social science principles, it especially relates to
behavior, cognition, and society and culture. It relates to behavior since it shows how people
learn cyberbullying from peers or online communities and how they interact. Cognition, because
both offenders and victims think or react differently from their online actions and that can affect
the actions they take. Finally, it also relates to society and culture, by talking about the social
norms on social media and how that influences how actions are looked at.
Research Question /Hypothesis /Independent Variable /Dependent Variable

  • Research Question: How is cyberbullying on social media defined, how common is
    cyberbullying and what is the impact it has on the victims.
  • Hypothesis: The author tries to point out how cyberbullying affects its victims emotional
    state, and what traits or social interactions make people more likely to participate in
    cyberbullying.
  • Independent Variable: personality traits, peer pressure, social media interactions
  • Dependent Variable: The emotional harm caused to victims, like the anxiety, depression
    and stress it gives them.
    3
    Types of Research Methods used
    This article has implemented many studies on cyberbullying and examined them
    to help reinforce their research. This was qualitative since it focuses on analyzing and
    then summarizing the information from these studies. The data they used in this was from
    surveys, and reports about cyberbullying.
    Types of Data Analysis used
    They collected information from multiple studies and then compared the results in
    the end to help identify patterns or trends or any common findings in cyberbullying. They
    looked at how different studies described cyberbullying and the effects it had on its
    victims.
    Connections to other Course Concepts
    This article connects several concepts from the modules. Like Behavioral
    Theories, Cognitive Theories, Personality Theories. Behavioral showing how
    cyberbullying can be learned from peers or online communities. Cognitive since these
    offenders try and justify their actions by thinking in a certain way. Lastly, personality
    traits like being impulsive can make someone more likely to bully others online.
    Connections to the Concerns or Contributions of Marginalized Groups
    This article does highlight how cyberbullying can affect more vulnerable people
    or marginalized groups. For example teenagers or LGBTQ+ individuals who are already facing
    discrimination can be more likely to be bullied online.
    Overall societal contributions of the study/Conclusion
    4
    This article helps us understand how cyberbullying harms victims emotionally. It
    shows that personality traits, social influences, and online interactions can affect who participates
    in cyberbullying. Overall it helps us understand cybersecurity and human behavior online.
    5
    Reference
    Article Link: Ray, Geraldine, et al. “Cyberbullying on Social Media: Definitions, Prevalence,
    and Impact Challenges | Journal of Cybersecurity | Oxford Academic.” OXFORD Academic, 19
    Dec. 2024, academic.oup.com/cybersecurity/article/10/1/tyae026/7928395.

Article Review #2: University students’ security behavior against email phishing attacks
Student Name: Maxwell Vinson
School of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity and the Social Sciences
Instructor Name: Dr. Jordan Quinn
Date: 4/9/2026
Introduction/BLUF
I selected an article from the Journal of Cybersecurity, that examines how phishing attacks take
advantage of human behavior, especially with students. This study focuses on why individuals
are falling victim to these phishing attacks, even though people should be more aware of
cybersecurity threats now more than ever. Overall, this article shows that low cybersecurity
awareness significantly increases the likelihood to have phishing attacks.
Relation/Connection to Social Science Principles
This article relates to several core scientific principals, empiricism and determinism. Empiricism,
through the use of these phishing simulations and survey data, allows conclusions to be made
based off of this information. Determinism is reflected in this study, which shows why phishing
is successful, for example, among individuals with low cybersecurity awareness, or impulsive
decision makers.
Research Question/Hypothesis/Independent Variable/ Dependent Variable

  • Research Question: Why are these individuals, specifically students, more susceptible to
    phishing attacks even with the awareness of these cybersecurity threats?
  • Hypothesis: People with less cybersecurity awareness are more likely to fall for phishing
    attacks.
  • Independent Variable: The individual’s level of cybersecurity awareness
  • Dependent Variable: The likelihood of these phishing attacks.
    Types of Research Methods used
    This study used quantitative research methods. Researchers did phishing simulations,
    which tested individuals and their behavior online. Surveys were used to measure the
    individual’s cybersecurity awareness as well.
    Types of Data Analysis used
    This author mainly used and analyzed statistics, examining cybersecurity awareness and
    their susceptibility to phishing. Quantitative data from these surveys and simulations
    were analyzed to try to find the patterns in behavior.
    Connections to other Course Concepts
    This article obviously relates to a lot of what we have gone through throughout this
    course. Individuals are making decisions quickly without evaluating the risks. The risk
    perception is low; people underestimate the online threats. Human factors play a bigger
    role than technology alone when facing online threats.
    Connections to the Concerns or Contributions of Marginalized Groups
    This study highlights students and people with limited knowledge around technology, and
    how they are more vulnerable to phishing attacks. These groups have a lack of expertise
    in proper cybersecurity education and resources making them more likely to these scams.
    Groups like older adults could also be susceptible to these phishing emails due to their
    lack of use with technology. This study shows the need for cybersecurity education
    people need to ensure the protection of all users.
    Overall Societal Contributions of the Study/Conclusion
    In conclusion, this article shows us that it’s not always technical issues that leak data, but
    mainly human behavior. It highlights how important education and awareness are when
    online. Overall, this study helps us understand the common ground between
    cybersecurity and social science, focusing on how human behavior is a critical factor in
    our security.
    Reference
    Anderson Kevin Gwenhure, University students’ security behavior against email phishing
    attacks: insights from the health belief model, Journal of Cybersecurity, Volume 11, Issue 1,
    2025, tyaf034, https://doi.org/10.1093/cybsec/tyaf034