Cognitive Dissonance Theory Of Cyber Bullying

Bullying, a once typical occurrence in schools, has gone digital. As a result, cyber bullying has become very present among youth. As the personal computer and the Internet bring the world into our homes, they provide us access to a vast amount of information. “Therefore, as children and adolescents spend more and more time online they are exposed to many risks or dangerous activities” (DOWELL, Burgess, & CAVANAUGH, 2009). Cyber bullying is very similar to physical or face-to-face bullying (Cyberbullying a growing problem for one in 10 kids, 2010). “Cyber bullying has several different outlooks on what exactly defines it, but to grasp it all together, cyber bullying is the taunting or delivery of harmful words directed to a person through means of technology” (Feinberg, 2009). The lack of face-to-face interaction and the degree of anonymity allowed by the Internet are some reasons why cyber victimization or bullying is happening. Cyber bullying is purposely trying to hurt someone and it gets treated as a very serious matter. These increasing forms of bullying can be assessed by two theories, the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, and the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. The Uncertainty Reduction Theory focuses on how human communication is used to gain knowledge and create understanding. The Cognitive Dissonance Theory talks about how people take bits of knowledge and are more likely to eliminate the bad experiences. Cognitive dissonance is preventable based on the interactions teenagers have with each other.

“By using the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, originated by C.R.Berger and Calabrese in 1975, it claims that people have a need to reduce uncertainty about others by gaining information about them. Information gained can then b...

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...iminate the third party, based on the information the user has provided. Lastly, interactive strategy is direct communication. Through these methods, relationships begin to build, but the danger of this strategy is when it happens online, because all of the information exchanged stays in cyberspace forever. The most common way of reducing uncertainty is by using one of the concepts related to uncertainty. Those concepts include verbal output, nonverbal warmth, information seeking, self-disclosure, reciprocity of disclosure, similarity, and liking. Information-seeking and questioning other people about their background are where you can begin to reduce any uncertainties. We start with the small talk before moving on to the bigger part of the conversation. Other approaches are to find out indirectly about the person by asking a friend or to passively observe them.