Examining the Effects of Media Celebrity Bashing and Celebrity Testimonials on Cyberbullying amongst Adolescents.

In this project we will investigate the influence of celebrity stories on cyberbullying amongst adolescents. On the one hand, this will be done from a news media effects perspective: does exposure to "celebrity bashing" by news media lead to cyberbullying behavior? On the other hand, this will be done from a narrative intervention perspective: are celebrity testimonials effective in persuading adolescents not to cyberbully or in providing support to victims. In this way the project will fill important gaps in the existing knowledge on macro influences (in casu: media influences) on cyberbullying behavior, and on evidence-based methods to change cyberbullying behavior and its mental health outcomes.

Keywords:CELEBRITY ACTIVISM, CYBERBULLYING, ADOLESCENTS

Disciplines:Applied sociology, Social work, Other sociology and anthropology