Article Review: Cyberbullying on Social Media: Definitions, Prevalence, and Impact
Challenges
Mehmet Cuce
Old Dominion University
CYSE 201S
Prof. Diwakar Yalpi
9/28/2025

Cyberbullying on Social Media: Definitions, Prevalence, and Impact Challenges
This article discusses the social impacts of Cyberbullying, and its effects on different social
groups by factoring age, motives and occurrences based on 71 papers published between
2007-2022. It aims to help create a better understanding of the concept of cyberbullying through
finding commonalities within literature. (Ray et al, 2024)
Cyberbullying and Social Sciences
Cyberbullying and the social sciences are connected, as the core principles of social
sciences act as foundation for individuals both perpetrating and affected by cyberbullying.
Through a psychological lens, it examines how human traits, personality traits and social
dynamics shape online interactions. A notable principle used in this article would be relativism,
as it is the idea that all things are related. This study directly discusses the link between social
media and mental health of individuals who partake in the social dynamics that exist within these
digital spaces. Furthermore the study utilizes objectivity in order to analyze the links between
perpetrator and victim, commonalities within these groups and motives behind their actions.
Questions
The article directly presents us with these research questions;
How is cyberbullying defined in the literature?
What factors contribute to cyberbullying, and how can they be measured?
What is the impact of personality traits on cyberbullying?
How do direct/indirect experiences influence prevalence?
How does cyberbullying affect individuals, and what measures can mitigate it?

Hypothesis
The main issue with defining cyberbullying is the inconsistencies found in definitions of
cyberbullying and the lack of research on cyberbullying amongst adults (Ray et al, 2024). The
two main factors which come into play are technological factors and individual factors. On the
technological side, accessibility of the internet and the ability to stay anonymous play a
significant role in driving cyberbullying. While on the individual side, Certain personality traits
such as machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy showed a strong connection to
cyberbullying and cyber victimization.
Research and Data
The research methods used for this article were done by using 71 reviewed sources of
literature following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and
Meta-Analyses (Ray et al, 2024) All of which included empirical studies, case studies, review
papers and theoretical papers. By utilizing inclusion and exclusion criteria, all information
reviewed would be relevant. The data collected aimed to help to understand the process of
cyberbullying.
Class Concepts
The overall findings of this article have a strong correlation with the concepts discussed
in the powerpoints. The dark triad is one concept that both the article and powerpoints utilize in
order to explain the behaviors and personality traits in cyberbullying. These traits being
Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy. These traits directly contribute to the likeliness
of cyberoffending and cyberbullying. Furthermore the concept of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is
a great way to explain the thought process of both cyberbullies and cyberbullying victims. As
generally, cyberbullying and cybervictimization stems from esteem and love needs.

Cyberbullying and Marginalized Groups
From the finding of the article we see that cyberbullying disproportionately affects
marginalized groups. These groups being women, adolescents, and LGBTQ+ groups who face
more targeted harassment due to social status, age, body image and vulnerability. This
harassment leads to worsening mental health issues, antisocial behaviors, and creates an even
bigger gap between people. Overall this study highlighted the need for mitigation strategies in
order to protect these marginalized groups from future threats.
Conclusion
This article contributes to society by creating a standardized approach to understanding
cyberbullying. It creates awareness surrounding the effects that cyberbullying has on public
health, while focusing on understudied groups. By highlighting the gaps in prevention and
intervention strategies, it aims to create better ways to prevent cyberbullying. Furthermore it
helps us understand that it is both a psychological and societal issue that cannot be solved by one
single solution.

References
Geraldine Ray, Christopher D McDermott, Mathew Nicho, Cyberbullying on Social Media:
Definitions, Prevalence, and Impact Challenges, Journal of Cybersecurity, Volume 10,
Issue 1, 2024, tyae026, https://doi.org/10.1093/cybsec/tyae026