Cyber-bullying 'on the increase'
Updated on 30 May 2007
People who are bullied at work or in school may not be able to escape their tormentors in the virtual world, researchers have warned.
Millions of people have logged on to Second Life, an internet craze which allows a user to create an online alter ego.
But researchers from the University of Nottingham claim that bullying, known as griefing in cyberspace, is as rife for those who move into the virtual world as it is in the real world.
Dr Iain Coyne, who helped carry out a study of bullying in Second Life, said: "Similar to bullying at school and work, power is a key factor in griefing.
"In Second Life it appears that the power imbalance between a griefer and a target is focused on knowledge and experience. A new resident, or newbie, may be targeted because of their naivety and inability to stop the griefing. As one participant put it, information is power, experience matters."
Dr Coyne, along with Dr Thomas Chesney, was given permission by Linden Lab, the makers of Second Life, to set up a cyber-based focus group to discuss the problem of bullying within the virtual environment.
They rented a plot of virtual land and interviewed 50 residents, known as avatars, about their experiences. Their responses were monitored by psychologists in the real world.
They found that newcomers to Second Life are often subjected to griefing when they first enter the domain, in which people communicate through instant messaging. Some newbies reported being physically attacked when moving to a new area within the Second Life world, while others claimed their virtual homes had been destroyed and they had been shot at.
Professor Christine Ennew, who helped fund the project, said: "Cyber-bullying is on the increase and is one example of the many dysfunctional ways in which individuals use the internet. If we are to be in a position to address the problem, we need to be able to understand the nature and extent to which it occurs - that is why I think the research project is an important one."
The full findings of the study will be presented at The European Conference on Information Systems in Switzerland on June 6-7.
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