2. Roles within Cyberbullying
The anonymity of cyberbullying fosters a sense of a lack of inhibition and of invincibility because the bully can remain faceless. Individuals who might otherwise be afraid to engage in bullying behavior (e.g., victims wishing to retaliate against stronger individuals who have bullied them, individuals reticent to engage in face-to-face bullying) are more willing to do so.
Children exposed to cyberbullying, whether as a cyberbully, cybervictim, or both (bully/victim), spent more time on computer based social activities. Nearly two thirds of cyberbully/victims were also traditional bully/victims. While preliminary, results suggest that efforts to prevent cyberbullying may need to focus on patterns of Internet use, amount and type of social activities, and exposure to traditional bullying as risk factors for engaging in cyberbullying.
Some routine types of Internet activities increase the odds of victimization. Participation in social networking sites was found to represent a risk for being bullied online. Having an online profile on these sites apparently provides information on both personal characteristics and contact