Cyberbullying behind fronteers: deviant behaviours and intecultural factors in digital communication

Cyberbullying is a new phenomenon, and no extensive theory has already been accredited which can describe it in a satisfactory way, although research in this field is evolving at a high speed. To gain a better understanding of the dynamics of cyberbullying it is necessary to integrate the knowledge developed in different fields of research, mainly concerned on one hand with the particularities of computer and mobile phone mediated communication and on the other hand with the fostering impact that the changes of adolescence could have on the propensity to engage in acts of cyberbullying. The idea of a virtual world whose intrinsic characteristics may enhance the probabilities of online aggressive behaviours leads to the search for variables that are valid across countries and cultures, thus to the necessity for cross-cultural research. The collaboration with the Universidade Federal Fluminense of Rio de Janeiro, the Universidad de La Sabana of Bogotà, the Middle East Technical University of Ankara as well as the support provided by the COST Action “Cyberbullying: coping with negative and enhancing positive uses of new technologies, in relationships in educational settings” and the London based organization Beatbullying.org all greatly contributed in the realization of this project, aimed at investigating the diffusion and the representation of cyberbullying among youth of different countries.