THE ROLE OF DIGITAL MEDIA AND FACTORS AFFECTING CYBERBULLYING BEHAVIOR AMONG THAI YOUTHS AND APPROCHES FOR PREVENTION AND SOLUTION

Abstract

The objectives of this qualitative research were to study 1) Characteristics of Thai youths at risk of being cyberbullies and victims, 2) Cyberbullying behaviors of Thai youths, 3) Factors affecting cyberbullying behavior, 4) Role of digital media in cyberbullying, and 5) The prevention and correction approaches of cyberbullying among Thai youths. The research tools received ethical approval. Purposive sampling method was employed, and 8 Thai youths with cyberbullying experiences in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and 3 experts were interviewed. The data were examined in triangulations, organized into categories, and inductively analyzed. The results were as follows: cyberbullies were often found to be impatient and lacked compassion while victims often lacked confidence and self-esteem. The most common forms of cyberbullying found were flaming, denigration and dissing. Most cyberbullies were schoolmates of the victims. The main cause of cyberbullying was dissatisfaction, and the most common impact of cyberbullying was psychological scars. Factors causing cyberbullying included presenting news stories which indicate judgement, revenge, being provoked by friends, etc. Digital media led people to use offensive language or violent expressions that led to fights and violence in the real world. Prevention and correction to cyberbullying can be done as follows: digital media users should have digital literacy, parents should build and maintain good relationship with their children, schools should hold seminars or role-playing activities about the problems, the internet service providers should verify the identity of the users, and the media should help raise awareness of cyberbullying.