Cyberbullying and social media communication: Spiral of silence, relational aggression and Schadenfreude

Extant literature has identified cyberbullying tactics and consequences as well as school- and community-based anti-bullying strategies and policies. However, research that explains bullying behavior from a communication perspective in a social network via social media platforms is still lacking. This work theorizes cyberbullying as a relational communication behavior by proposing a conceptual framework that integrates the theories and constructs of bystander behavior, spiral of silence, relational aggression, uses and gratifications, and communication competency. Based on the analysis, synthesis and theorization, a set of research propositions and empirical study designs is presented to help guide future research.