Critical analysis

“Examination of the Relationship between Cyberbullying

and Cyber Victimization”

The main purpose of the study conducted by Hatice Yildiz Durak and Mustafa Saritepeci

under the title “Examination of the Relationship between Cyberbullying and Cyber

Victimization” was to determine the interrelation between cyberbullying and cyber

victimization activities of university students and to establish models that help examine the

mediating effects of digital data security and metacognitive awareness levels. Within this

context, the hypotheses of the research question can be identified as: There is a positive

relationship between cyber victimization and cyberbullying behaviors of university students,

Metacognitive awareness of students mediates cyber victimization and cyberbullying

behaviors and Digital data security awareness of students mediates cyber victimization and

cyberbullying behaviors. This research has significant implications in today's society, which

is defined by rapid technological advancement. According to recent studies, one out of every

four students has been the victim of cyberbullying (Wolak, Mitchell & Finkelhor, 2006).

Cyberbullying's negative consequences are not little or insignificant, and they have the ability

to cause substantial psychological, emotional, or social harm. When experienced by members

of this sensitive and frequently temperamental adolescent population, the resulting harm can

include violence, injury, death, and later criminality for both the bully and the bullied.

There has been research conducted to learn more about cyber victimisation and cyber

bullying, although the majority of these studies focus on the perpetrator and the inefficiency

of legality in handling citizens' private information. In this light, the current study stands out

since it is scientifically studying the key elements linked to victims. The key elements can be

identified as Meta cognitive awareness and Digital data security awareness and Meta

cognitive awareness and Digital data security awareness are the main aspects, and the

researchers are looking into the mediational effect of these variables in the relationship

between cyberbullying and cyber victimisation among university students. The level of

knowledge of the victims of cyberbullying is proportional to their behaviours. This level of

awareness includes the ability to assess one's own behaviour as well as the proper and

conscious use of technology. In such a case, an individual's metacognitive awareness

becomes prominent. Metacognitive awareness refers to an individual's understanding,

awareness, and control of his cognitive processes, as well as control and awareness of his

own thoughts. As the amount of data generated and stored on digital platforms grows, so do

the risks and threats to information security. Many information technology users are not

aware of the risks and threats that may arise from such use. All these aspects increase the

relevance of the current study.

Another advantage of this study is the use of a large sample size. This research was

carried out with the participation of 3302 students who are pursuing their university degree in

various Turkish cities. The use of a large sample size could improve generalizability.

However, women made up 69.4 percent of the total participants, while men made up 30.6

percent. The fact that the sample sizes for men and women are not equal in this study is a

flaw. This study is supported by strong theoretical framework. The theoretical foundation for

this research has been built using general strain theory. The scales used in this research is

Cyberbullying scale, cyber victimization scale, metacognitive awareness scale, and digital

data security awareness scale . All these scales have adequate reliability.

Another drawback of this study is that the information used is self-reported. Because

the data was gathered through self-reports, the participants' statements concerning

unfavourable behaviours, particularly in terms of cyberbullying, may not truly reflect the

situation. But the researchers have collected data anonymously to reduce such uncertainty. A

cross sectional research strategy was used to identify the relationships between cyberbullying,

cyber victimisation, and other variables in the current study. Cause-and-effect relationships

are not revealed by the research design. Longitudinal studies on the relationship between

cyberbullying and cyber victimisation should be planned to uncover mediating variables.

Another disadvantage of this study is the study group's membership, which was limited to

university students. Cyberbullying is a big concern among students from elementary school

through university. Therefor the study should have included participants from other age

categories as well. Apart from these drawbacks this research has introduced a model that

represents mediating effects for the relationship between cyber bullying and cyber

victimization. The direct effect of cyberbullying on cyber victimization is shown to be

significant in this model. Digital data security awareness, according to the findings of this

study, does not mediate the relationship between cyberbullying and cyber victimization. A

positive relation between cyberbullying and metacognitive awareness was identified;

however, there is also a positive relation between cyber-bullying and Digital data security

awareness. This finding is important with regard to its contribution to the expansion of the

nomological network pertaining to cyberbullying. Furthermore, cyberbullying and digital

data security knowledge have a negative relationship. In, there is a considerable negative

relationship between these two variables. According to this evidence, greater awareness of

digital data protection reduces the likelihood of cyberbullying behavior.

References

Durak, H. Y., & Saritepeci, M. (2020). Examination of the relationship between

cyberbullying and cyber victimization. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(10),

2905-2915.

Wolak, J., Mitchell, K. J., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Online victimization of youth: 5 years

later. Alexandria, VA: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Alexandria,

Virginia: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.