Abstract
Cyberbullying has infiltrated Information and Communication Technologies, especially on Social Networking Sites (SNS). Literature has suggested that cyberbullying perpetration is escalating. Scholars concur those victims of cyberbullying face serious risks of suicide, anxiety, sadness, and self-harm. The overarching goal of this study was to investigate whether there was a link between self-awareness and cyberbullying perpetration. The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) was adapted to an Online Behaviour Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (OBMAAS) to measure self-awareness, and an Online Bullying Behaviour Scale (OBBS) was self-developed to measure online bullying behaviours. These two measures were used to determine whether there was a significant relationship between self-awareness and cyberbullying perpetration. Chaos theory was used to describe SNS as a chaotic system. The present study has also drawn from various other theories previously used to gain insight into cyberbullying. The research philosophy was grounded in a positivist paradigm, and a quantitative deductive approach was used. A descriptive correlational design was used to describe variables and the underlying natural relationships. The research was conducted among South African youth between the ages of 18 and 34 years. Data was collected through an online survey on Google Forms. Two non-probability sampling methods were used: A Social Networking Site (SNS) was used as a convenient sampling platform that allowed SNS users to participate in this study, and snowball sampling was used as the survey included a request to forward the survey to other SNS users. A total of 494 individuals participated in the study. Reliability and validity were established for the adapted MAAS scale, referred to as the OBMAAS scale, and for the self-developed OBBS scale. A Spearman's rho correlation was calculated to determine whether there is a significant relationship
vi
between cyberbullying and self-awareness. The correlation between the two variables was -0.372, indicating a weak but significant correlation (p-value of 0.01). The results addressing the hypothesis suggest that the more self-aware youth are less likely to be involved in cyberbullying perpetration. Two reliable and valid scales are now available to scholars to conduct further research on cyberbullying and the awareness of individuals online. A new approach, namely an Evolving Digital Vortex Ecosystem (EDVES) Approach for cyberbullying and online self-awareness among South African youth, was proposed. Future researchers can use the EDVES to gain insight into cyberbullying behaviour on social media and promote online self-awareness.
Keywords
Cyberbullying, information and communication technologies, self-awareness, youth, social networking sites