From Screens to Self-esteem: Examining the Impact of Cyberbullying on Youth

Description

Page: 257-262

Sojanya Bhatnagar and Sneha Narayan (Department of Psychology, Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth, Faridabad, Haryana)

In today’s world, we all are trying to attract people using social media, and cyberbullying has become a thumping issue. With the help of social media, everyone wants to stay connected with each other thereby getting addicted to it eventually leading to FOMO (fear of missing out). Sometimes this desire leads to negative consequences including Cyberbullying which is a type of bullying that includes using technology or digital devices which comprises SMS, gaming platforms, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, telegram, etc. The study works to demonstrate the impact and psychological consequences of cyberbullying on the self-esteem of young adults. The term “self-esteem” describes a person’s overall perception of their own value or worth. It can be defined as an individual’s level of self-worth, self-approval, self-prize, or self-like. The study examines how cyberbullying affects a person’s self-esteem using 30 studies from reliable databases and journals, and the results show that there is a negative correlation between the two. Cyberbullying leads to victims experiencing a lack of self-worth, anxiety, frustration, low self-confidence, diminished interest, low emotional intelligence, manipulating behavior, loneliness, aggressive nature, self-doubt, the feeling of inadequacy, and sometimes depression or suicidal thoughts, antisocial behavior, avoidance to academics and also the inability to form a healthy relationship.