Abstract:Today many adolescents have access to computers and mobile phones.  They prefer to socialize through these means which has led to a new kind of bullying, the electronic bullying. The purpose of this study has been to examine the electronic bullying from the perspective of gender, anonymity and the consequences that it may lead to. We have chosen a quantitative approach by using a questionnaire survey targeting young people between the ages of 15-16 years in Kalmar county. 163 respondents took part in the survey, 78 girls and 85 boys. The gathered material is presented by means of contingency tables and has been interpreted by gender socialization, deindividuation and dehumanization. The results show that 14 % of the respondents have been victims of electronic bullying. The results also show that 15% of the respondents have participated in exposing others to electronic bullying.

<p>Denna kvalitativa intervjustudie syftar till att definiera fenomenet elektronisk mobbning, att utreda ansvarsfrågan samt att kartlägga organisationernas arbete och eventuella samverkan. Resultatet baseras på intervjuer med BRIS, Friends, LunarStorm och Playahead som analyserades utifrån symbolisk interaktionism. Studien visar på hur liten skillnaden är mellan traditionell och elektronisk mobbning i hur den kommer till uttryck och vem den drabbar. Utmärkande för e-mobbning är spridningseffekten samt hur språket hårdnat i kommunikationen på Internet och andra elektroniska källor. Föräldrarna, skolan och barnen själva borde enligt organisationerna ta ansvar för att motverka e-mobbningen och de anser att lagstiftningen på området är bristfällig. Organisationernas arbete mot e-mobbning är relativt omfattande men effektiv samverkan saknas delvis.</p><p>Till följd av den nya nätkulturen och att unga besitter en betydligt högre IT-kompetens än vuxengenerationen har unga i stor utsträckning lämnats ensamma att interagera på Internet. Utifrån symbolisk interaktionisms idéer kring den sociala interaktionens betydelse för identitetsskapandet och behovet av en generaliserad andre kan den vuxna frånvaron vara en bidragande orsak till problematiken kring e-mobbning. Dessutom har vuxenfrånvaron lett till att symbolspråket i nätkulturen blivit betydligt tuffare. Uppsatsens slutsats består till stor del i hur stort behovet av vuxen närvaro är i den unga nätkulturen.</p> / <p>This qualitative study aims to examine how cyberbullying appears, who should be responsible for prevention and measures, and how four organizations work against and cooperates round cyberbullying. The result is based on interviews with BRIS, Friends, LunarStorm and Playahead and analyzed with help from symbolic interactionism. The result indicates little difference between cyberbullying and traditional bullying. The tougher language and the quicker circulation of information characterize bullying on the Internet. The responsibility should, according to the organizations, be placed upon the parents, the school and the children. Legislation regarding cyberbullying is insufficient. In the organizations otherwise rather comprehensive work, efficient cooperation is partly lacking.</p><p>The new Internet culture and the youths’ considerably higher IT-skills have led to that they to a greater extent have been left alone to interact on the Internet. According to symbolic interaktionism, satisfying development of the identity is highly dependent on social interaction and the idea of the generalized other. Therefore, the adult absence could be one of the most important explanations to cyberbullying, as well as to why the language has become more harsh and ruthless. To sum up, this essay emphasizes the need of adult presence in the new Internet culture.</p><p>Title: Cyberbullying in the Internet culture – a qualitative study of the work and experiences of two Internet communities and two non-profit organizations.</p>

The purpose of this study was to highlight cyber-bullying and its place in today’s schools. Our aim was to research how schools with bullying prevention programs are equipped to handle and take action against cyber-bullying. Furthermore this study focuses on whether or not schools are responsible for cases of cyber-bullying. We also aimed to present teachers’ general views and knowledge regarding this phenomenon. In order to emphasize these issues we have asked the following questions: How do teachers’ perceive the existence of cyber-bullying in school? What do schools do to prevent and take action against cyber-bullying? Who is responsible for taking action against cyber-bullying? As a method to obtain answers to these questions we have used five qualitative interviews. Our informants were various educators involved with bullying prevention programs in their respective schools. Socio cultural, organisational and judicial perspectives support our theoretical framework. Our results show that although the schools in our study may be capable of dealing with traditional bullying, they are not suitably equipped to deal with cyber-bullying. In general the educators are in agreement that they are inadequately informed about cyber-bullying. All informants were prepared to further educate themselves in order to prevent and combat this new phenomenon. Finally in order for our schools to be able to act effectively on cyber-bullying there must be clear laws put in place.