Internet Peer Violence among the Students of the Faculty of Social Work

Namen magistrskega dela je raziskati, kakšne posledice lahko ima internetno medvrstniško nasilje med mladostniki. Najprej sem se osredotočil na teorijo, ki jo potrebujemo za razumevanje problematike. Razložil sem osnovne pojme (internet, medvrstniško nasilje, internetno medvrstniško nasilje) ter primerjal definicije različnih avtorjev, predstavil sem tudi razlike in podobnosti med medvrstniškim nasiljem in internetnim medvrstniškim nasiljem. Nekoliko bolj sem se poglobil v problematiko spletnega nasilja, predstavil sem vrste, vloge, ki se pri tem pojavijo, prepoznavanje le-teh ter kakšen vpliv ima internetno medvrstniško nasilje na osebo v določeni vlogi. Pregledal sem nekaj raziskav, ki so bile izvedene v tujini, ki sem jih kasneje uporabil za primerjavo s svojimi rezultati. Poglobil sem se tudi v Slovensko zakonodajo, ki je prišla v poštev pri internetnem medvrstniškem nasilju. Tematiko sem povezal s stroko socialnega dela. V empiričnem delu sem pozornost posvetil raziskavi. Najprej sem navedel nekaj demografskih podatkov, ki sem jih kasneje uporabil za primerjavo rezultatov, nato sem s pomočjo anket preveril seznanjenost s problematiko, z izrazom ter vrstami. Preveril sem, če je kdo že bil v vlogi žrtve, opazovalca ali povzročitelja, kako je takrat ravnal, kaj je čutil, kdaj se je to dogajalo. Preveril sem tudi, če študentje vedo, kje poiskati pomoč v primeru internetnega medvrstniškega nasilja in v kolikšni meri se jim ta pomoč zdi dostopna ter če so v preteklosti bili na kakšni delavnici ali predavanju na obravnavano tematiko. Te podatke sem kasneje analiziral in primerjal med seboj ter preveril, ali lahko postavljene hipoteze potrdim ali ovržem. Ugotovil sem, da so nekateri rezultati primerljivi z rezultati raziskav drugih avtorjev opravljenih v tujini. V zaključku sem predstavil svoje glavne ugotovitve. Ugotovil sem, da so mladostniki s problematiko internetnega medvrstniškega nasilja preslabo seznanjeni, potrebno bi bilo seznaniti otroke, prav tako pa tudi opolnomočiti strokovne delavce za to področje, da lahko postanejo spoštljivi in odgovorni zavezniki vsem vključenim v internetno medvrstniško nasilje.The aim of this thesis is to analyse the consequences of internet peer violence among the youth. The first part consists of the theory we need to take into account in order to understand the issue at hand. Therefore, some basic concepts (e. g. internet, peer violence, internet peer violence) are explained, followed by the different definitions of these concepts by different authors. I will also highlight the differences and similarities between peer violence and its internet counterpart. The focus of this thesis is on the internet peer violence, the diverse kinds of it, the roles it creates, how we can recognize them and, finally, what kind of influence internet peer violence has on a person in a specific role. I also analysed some research works, which were published abroad and which I later use to make a comparison with my own research results. Finally, a part of the theory centres on the Slovenian legislation and paradigms within social work relevant to the subject of this thesis. The empirical part deals with the research, starting with information about the demographics, later used for the comparison of the results. The attention is then focused on the familiarity with the issue, the expression and the different kinds of internet peer violence. I check whether somebody has already been in the role of the victim, the observer or the agent of violence, then ask how they acted, what they felt and when it happened. The students are also asked whether they know where to find help in case they are involved in internet peer violence, as well as to which extent they believe this help to be accessible and whether they have already taken part in a workshop or a lecture that dealt with this topic. This data is then analysed and compared, and the initial hypotheses are either confirmed or refuted. Some of the results are shown to be similar to results of certain research works of other authors. The conclusion introduces the main findings, especially that the youth is not familiar enough with the issue of internet peer violence. It is important to present this issue to children and educate social workers on this topic, so that they can be respectful and responsible allies to everybody connected to internet peer violence