INTERNET ADDICTION AND CYBERBULLYING: Sociological, Psychological and Pedagogical Aspects

Report of Short Term Scientific Mission Funded by COST ISO801

Hosted by Professor Aron Men, Israeli Independent Academy of Development of Sciences, Haifa, Israel 15 – 24 September 2009 Author: Vladimir Menshikov Daugavpils University Faculty of Social Sciences Daugavpils Latvia mailto: [email protected].

CONTENTS Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………………...2 Purpose of the visit………………………………………………………………………………..2 Description of the work carried out during the visit………………………………………………2 Description of the main results obtained………………………………………………………….3 Future collaboration with host institution…………………………………………………………4 Projected publications/articles resulting or to result from the STSM……………………………..5 Confirmation by the host institute of the successful execution of the mission…………………....5 ANNEXES Annex 1. V.Menshikov’s paper “Internet Addiction and Cyberbullying: Sociological, Psychological and Pedagogical Aspects”, published in conference’s proceedings ……………..10

Acknowledgments

I am most grateful to the Management Committee of the COST ISO801 and to the COST Administrative Secretariat for granting the funding to allow me to carry out this Short Term Scientific Mission in Israel. Especially I would like to thank Professor Peter Smith for supporting and Professor Aron Men and his colleagues for hosting my STSM Special thanks to Vera Boronenko for her response and help.

Purpose of the visit

The general purpose of this STSM visit was to activate research co-operation between Israel, Latvia and other countries-participants of the conference in cyberbullying and other topics. But the concrete specific purpose of this STSM was the oral presentation of the paper at the III International conference “Modern Achievements in Science and Education” and discussion of sociological, psychological and pedagogical aspects of internet addiction and cyberbullying. Another purpose of STSM was also the studying of experience of Israelian colleagues and discussing of possibilities for future co-operation.

Description of the work carried out during the visit

During my STSM visit to Israelian colleagues I was carried out the following: 1) I have presented the paper “Internet Addiction and Cyberbullying: Sociological, Psychological and Pedagogical Aspects” at the III International conference “Modern Achievements in Science and Education”; 2) I led the session “Problems of Education” of the III International conference “Modern Achievements in Science and Education”; 3) I discussed sociological, psychological and pedagogical aspects of cyberbullying with participants of the conference; 4) I organized the collaborative seminar with Slovakian colleagues-participants of the conference; 5) I attended Tel Aviv University and discussed there some directions of future collaboration between Latvia and Israel.

2

Description of the main results obtained

A. Scientific results

The first meaningful scientific result of this STSM was studying of media researches of Israelian scientists. The most significant person here seemed Professor Dafna Lemish from Department of Communication of Tel Aviv University. She has done a lot of research about children and media (mostly "traditional" media - such as television, but also mobile phones and the internet). She is also a specialist in media education and has written about new media and "moral panics" The most interesting working outs, which I was studying in Israel, were some her and co-authors’ books and articles about media and children: 

Gotz, M. Lemish, D. Aidman, A., & Moon, H. (2005). Media and the MakeBelieve Worlds of Children: When Harry Potter meets Pokemon in Disneyland.New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates



Tufte, B. Lavender, & T. Lemish, D. (Eds.) (2003).Media Education around the Globe: Policies and Practices. Newark, NJ: Hampton Press



Elias, N. & Lemish, D. (2009). Spinning the web of identity: Internet's roles in immigrant adolescents' search of identity. New Media & Society, 11(4), 1-19.



Elias, N. & Lemish, D. (2008). Media Uses in Immigrant Families: Torn Between "Inward" and "Outward" Paths of Integration. International Communication Gazett,70(1), 21-40



Cohen, A.A., & Lemish, D. (2003). Real time versus survey measures in research on mobile phone use. New Media and Society, 5(2), 167-183.

The second, I led the conference’s session “Problems of Education”, which included 13 participants from Israel, Latvia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Russa, Ukraine, Slovakia. My own presentation within the session was “INTERNET ADDICTION AND CYBERBULLYING: SOCIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS”. The topic of internetaddiction and cyberbullying was discussed actively, though the cyberbullying topic has no high topicality for the researchers from Eastern Europe. The contribution made by sociologists to the study of the problem is modest. From a position of Robert Merton’s deviance typology, Internet addiction is retreatism, and Cyberbullying – innovation. On retreatism in general R. Merton wrote: “In this category fall some of the adaptive activities of psychotics, autists, pariahs, outcasts, vagrants, vagabonds, tramps, chronic drunkards and drug addicts”. Innovation occurs “when the individual has assimilated the cultural emphasis upon the goal without equally 3

internalising the institutional norms governing ways and means for its attainment” (Merton, 1938). Such understanding of cyberbullying allows to develop new aspects in our current studies of this topic.

B. Practical results

The significant practical result was the attending the Tel Aviv University, the Faculty of Social Sciences (the similar faculty as mine) and the Laboratory of Nanotechnologies. I have got acquainted with the structure and international collaboration of the Faculty of Social Sciences and also with good practices of the Faculty’s work, which I shall take into consideration for the functioning of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Daugavpils University. During the conference I have organized the practical seminar also with Slovakian colleagues, where the experience in COST Action IS0801 was discussed and new contacts was created and also future plan of collaboration with Slovakian colleagues through Erasmus, COST and Slovakian government fellowships for Latvia were discussed. Seminar’s participants were: 

from Latvia: Prof. Vladimir Menshikov, Dr. Vera Boronenko, Daugavpils University;



from Slovakia: Prof. Jan Bartos, P.J.Safaric University of Kosice; Prof. Tatjana Corejeva, University of Zilina; Prof. Maria Rostasova, University of Zilina; Dr. Lena Dubovicka, University of Economics Bratislava.

Now Erasmus agreement between Daugavpils University and University of Zilina is already signed.

Future collaboration with host institution

It was negotiated that the future co-operation between Israeli Independent Academy of Development of Sciences and the Faculty of Social Sciences of Daugavpils University will continue in such main directions: 1) trying to sign ERASMUS agreement between the Israeli Independent Academy of Development of Sciences and the Faculty of Social Sciences of Daugavpils University; 2) participating of scientists from Daugavpils University in the conferences of Israeli Independent Academy of Development of Sciences and vice versa; 3) publishing the papers of scientists from Israeli Independent Academy of Development of Sciences in “Social Sciences Bulletin” and “Regional Bulletin” - the scientific issues of the Institute of Social Investigations of Daugavpils University; 4

4) common participating of scientists of Daugavpils University and Israeli Independent Academy of Development of Sciences in ESF COST programme.

Projected publications/articles resulting or to result from the STSM The paper “Internet Addiction and Cyberbullying: Sociological, Psychological and Pedagogical Aspects” in the proceedings of the III International conference “Modern Achievements of Science and Education” (4 pages). The possibilities of publishing some articles of Israelian, Slovakian, Ukrainian, Russian authors in the scientific issue “Social Science Bulletin” and “Regional Bulletin” of the Institute of Social Investigations of Daugavpils University (Latvia) were discussed.

Confirmation by the host institute of the successful execution of the mission

I am, the Professor Aron Men, confirm the successful execution of the Short Term Scientific Mission of Vladimir Menshikov, professor from the Daugavpils University, at the Israeli Independent Academy of Development of Sciences in Haifa. September 23, 2009

5

6

Annex 1. INTERNET ADDICTION AND CYBERBULLYING: SOCIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS Dr.soc.sc., prof. Meņšikovs Vladimirs Daugavpils University, Parades str., 1-321, Daugavpils, Latvia, LV-5401 t.:+37165428629, e-mail: [email protected] For the time being psychologists are the most active investigators inquiring into the question of Internet addiction and Cyber-violence. That is why, in the definitions of these new and growing destructions, unhealthy psychological conditions, people’s frustrations are emphasized. Internet addiction (“an escape” from the real life into the virtual space) as well as Cyber-violence – aggression, other irresponsible actions with the purpose of causing moral damage to a victim or limiting his/her social activity can be the reaction to the condition of frustration. Thus, in Wikipedia, we find a statement that “Internet addiction is a psychological disorder, an obsessive desire to connect to the Internet and unhealthy inability to disconnect from the Internet in time” (http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki). The discussion of the given phenomenon started not so long ago – in 1994. Kimberly S. Young worked out a special test and placed it on a web-site. She received almost 500 answers, 400 authors of which were recognised according to a chosen criterion Internet addicted people. In 1997-1999, research and consulting-psychotherapeutic web-services dealing with IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder) were organised. Kimberly S. Young gives 4 symptoms of Internet addiction: compulsion to check an e-mail; constant waiting for another Internet connection; complaints that a person spends too much time in the Internet; complaints that a person spends too much money for the Internet. Quite often Internet addiction is understood in a wider sense. To this notion, one may refer: computer addiction, i.e. compulsion to computer work (games, programming and other kinds of activity), “information reboot”, i.e. compulsive navigation for web pages, search in deleted data bases, compulsive use of the Internet, i.e. pathological addiction to gambling, on-line auctions or e-shopping; addiction to “cyber-relations”, i.e. social use of the Internet – communication in chats, group games and teleconferences, that finally may cause the substitution of the family and friends that are in the virtual space for the real ones; addiction to “cyber-sex”, i.e. to pornographic sites in the Internet, to sexual themes discussion in chats and special teleconferences “for adults”. According to the data of different investigations 10 % of the Internet users are Internet addicted. Cyber-violence, in its turn, is determined as a variety of emotional violence. The most popular methods of violence in the Internet are the following: flaming; bulling; cyberstalking – the use of electronic information and such communication devices as e-mail, dialog message exchange, text messages, mobile phones, pagers for defamation spreading and else’s secrets publication; aggressive and rude exclusion from a group (chat, discussion). A great number of investigations on Internet addiction has been carried out in Latvia (Nagle 2003; Koroļeva et al. 2004; Krūmiņa 2005). At the same time, there is a lack of significant scientific investigations on such a popular theme in European and American science as cyberbullying among children and teenagers (Smith et al. 2002; Hinduja, Patchin 2008; COST Action IS0801). The difficulty to catch a personality in the Internet, his/her anonymity in the virtual space are determined by psychologists as the main factor of the wide spread of new types of psychological disorders and anomalies. The contribution made by sociologists to the study of the problem is modest. From a position of Robert Merton’s deviance typology, Internet addiction is retreatism, and Cyberbullying – innovation. On retreatism in general R. Merton wrote: “In this category fall some of the adaptive activities of psychotics, autists, pariahs, outcasts, vagrants, vagabonds, tramps, chronic drunkards 7

and drug addicts”. Innovation occurs “when the individual has assimilated the cultural emphasis upon the goal without equally internalising the institutional norms governing ways and means for its attainment” (Merton, 1938). New retreatists are vagrants in the virtual space; these are, as M. Tsvetayeva said “swallowers of voids”. New innovators are cyber-violator: violators of the institutional norms of the virtual space, where a victim is exposed to the dictates of one’s will. From a position of sociology, the growth of individual liberty, caused by the appearance and the spread of new media, is the main factor of the wide spread of Internet addiction and Cyberbullying. In former times of the formation of technogenic civilization and capitalism, a man gained the freedom of movement in the real space. A. Smith considered the freedom of movement the beginning of man’s liberation, who, before that, had been attached to a particular place as a slave or a serf. Nowadays the freedom of movement has broadened at such extent that it takes even the virtual space. Internet addiction and Cyberbullying, as well as any deviation, are an inevitable pay for development, for the broadening of the freedom of man’s space. Just as vagrancy in the real space can be found in any country irrespective of the living level of its population and its cultural dominant, we can escape vagrancy in the virtual space neither today nor tomorrow. It is necessary to search for and find the ways and methods of the decrease of the number of “swallowers of voids” and cyberbullers. Anthony Giddens, British sociologist, interprets the rise of addictions and compulsions in the “runaway world” quite in an interesting way. If originally the notion “addiction” was used only in respect of alcoholism and narcomania, then nowadays it may be applied to any sphere of activity. A man may experience the same addiction and compulsion to work, physical culture, meal, sex – even love. Again A. Giddens connects the rise of compulsions with the weakening of the power of traditions and customs, with the possibilities of greater liberty of action in comparison with the past. “The dark side of decision making is the rise of addictions and compulsions” (Giddens 1999). The investigators in the field of pedagogics start referring to the problems of Internet addiction and Cyberbullying more often. If in the past, they were aimed at the different forms of the protection of the younger generation from the negative influence of the Internet, then, at present, many pedagogues-investigators are convinced that it is extremely significant to develop critical thinking of a personality who is in concert with the virtual space (Masterman 1998, Фёдоров 2008). Along with it, the development of media-competence and critical thinking of the Internet users still stays a scarcely realised even concerning the students of pedagogical specialities. Thus in Latvia in 2006, the government approved Latvian educational system informatization programme “Information and Communication Technologies Influence on the Quality of Education” for 2007 – 2013, which contains its long-term aim: “to encourage individuals to become more educated and creative personalities, to improve knowledge and skills of the usage of ICT”. However for pedagogues this programme provides only a profound education course for their computer skills improvement. The problems of the contingency of instrumentaltechnical qualities of the Internet and other new media with their socio-cultural infrastructure, the questions of the formation of media-competence of the pedagogues are not even designated. References 1. Giddens А. (1999) Runaway World. How Globalisation is Reshaping our Lives. London: Profile Books Ltd. 2. Hinduja S., Patchin J. (2008) Cyberbullying: An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Related to Offending and Victimization, in: Deviant Behavior, 29(2), pp. 129-156. 3. Koroļeva I., Rungule R., Sniķere S., Trapencieris M. (2004) Jauno tehnoloģiju atkarības izplatība jauniešu vidū Rīgā, Riga Centre Of Prevention Of Narcomany, Riga.

8

4. Krūmiņa A. (2007) Datoratkarības profilakses iespējas skolā, Bachelor Thesis, LU PPF, Riga. 5. Masterman L. (1998) The Media Education Revolution, in: Teaching the Media: International Perspectives, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, New Jersey London, pp. 7-13. 6. Merton R. (1938). Social Structure and Anomie. In: American Sociological Review. Vol. 3, No. 5. 7. Nagle G. (2003) Tīmekļa narkotikas, Diena, 15.03. 8. Pyzalski J. (2009) Lodz Electronic Aggression Prevalence Questionnaire – A Tool For Measuring Cyberbullying, is available online at: http://miha2.ef.unilj.si/cost298/gbc2009-proceedings/papers/P191.pdf (accessed 25 June 2009). 9. Smith P., Cowie H., Olafsson R., Liefooghe A. (2002) Definitions of bullying: A comparison of terms used, and age and gender differences, in a fourteen-country international comparison, in: Child Development, 73, pp. 1119-1133. 10. Фёдоров А. (2008) Краткий словарь терминов по медиаобразованию, медиапедагогике, медиаграмотности, медиакомпетентности, доступен в интернете: http://edu.of.ru/attach/17/25574.doc (см. 29.06.2009).

9