Cyberbullying Among Adults: A Qualitative Content Analysis of the Legal Responses to a Complex Social Problem

Cyberbullying is a major issue that is regrettably on the rise. The growth and rapid proliferation of the Internet, social media, and smart mobile devices have widened the audiences, increased anonymity and interactions to further heightened the potential for cyberbullying. While there is a substantial body of literature on cyberbullying there exists two dominant gaps: a lack of studies on adult cyberbullying and novel empirical approaches to understanding cyberbullying. Using information obtained from 75 cyberbullying court cases, this study provides preliminary evidence to better understand cyberbullying amongst adults. Therein, we identify, how cyberbullying occurs in relation to four key entities: the \u27offender,\u27 the \u27technology,\u27 the \u27victim\u27 and the \u27guardianship\u27. We also identify key themes and their relationships that emerged from the court cases that must be further investigated in order to better understand cyberbullying in future work