Recent statistics on cyberbullying in Malaysia shows a disturbing trend particularly among the younger generations. According to a survey conducted by Ipsos, Malaysia ranks second in Asia behind India in terms of cyberbullying among youths.

The study involving 20,793 respondents all over the world, found that 23% or one in four Malaysian parents reported that their children had experienced cyberbullying.

Cyberbully refers to the act of harassing, threatening, embarrassing and hurting a person through the use of digital technology like social media, instant messaging platforms, email and websites.

Cyberbullying can be in the form of repeatedly insulting and degrading someone online, spreading fake news and rumours, sending hateful and threatening comments and sharing embarrassing photos and videos without consent.

Various factors can encourage an individual to become a cyberbully, including:

1. Psychological issues

Individuals who are facing emotional distress, stress, trauma or were once a victim of bullying will bully others as a way to vent their anger or the feelings of helplessness.

For instance, individuals who feel isolated or angry due to family issues might seek a way to let out their feelings through cyberbullying others.

Other than that, social media is commonly used as a platform to showcase their ‘identity’. Individuals that possess low self-esteem may engage in rude behaviours to gain attention from others.

Aggressive behaviour and controversial actions like bullying other users are done to seek attention to feel valued and recognised through likes and views.

2. Lack of empathy

This can stem from underlying psychological issues. Lack of empathy means an individual is not able to understand and feel the emotion of others. As a result, these individuals may not realise or care about the impact of their actions to the victims.

For example, a cyberbully who sends hateful messages may not care how the messages will cause emotional distress to its recipient especially if it is related to interactions through the social media.

Cyber bullies cannot see the reaction of the victims due to lack of empathy and responsibility towards the bullied and insulted victims.

Communication through text reduces emotional context. Text does not convey the tone of voice, the face expression or body language, all of which are necessary to understand others emotions.

3. Internet anonymity

The internet provides a space for an individual to hide their identity. It provides ‘protection’ for the bullies as they can hide behind the fake identities and pseudonyms. This anonymity fosters a sense of reduced accountability for their actions.

As a result, individuals who use fake accounts to send threats or negative comments will feel bolder as their real identity is unknown. This factor is worsened by the social media features that can encourage its users to be rude, impolite and aggressive.

As mentioned previously in the concept of anonymity, social media provides a big opportunity for its users to conceal themselves behind fake identities and names. This situation is like comparing car, lorry or bus drivers whose identities are concealed behind their vehicles.

This can cause them to easily become aggressive in their driving as they feel ‘unknown’. This situation is the same with social media. Users in real-life may be a person who is quiet, shy and has low self-esteem but they can be angry, aggressive and rude on social media.

4. Group dynamics
Groups and communities formed through social media that normalizes negative behaviours may influence someone to cyberbullying either due to peer pressure or a desire for group acceptance.

Individuals joining or engaging with online groups or communities that frequently spread hate and insults will consider this behaviour as something that is normal and justified.

5. Social media algorithm

Algorithms often promote content that is well received. Unfortunately, well received content is usually about negative and controversial issues.

It spreads easily and garners more attention compared to positive content. This encourages an individual to engage in negative content including bullying others.

In conclusion, identifying the root that causes cyberbullying is crucial to effectively combat its prevalence on social media platforms. The factors mentioned previously highlight the multifaceted nature of the issue.

Therefore, comprehensive solutions to address cyber bullying involve aspects such as education, awareness campaign, law enforcement, appropriate policy draft, emotional and psychological support and cyberbully interventions.

This includes shared responsibilities that need to be imposed on social media platform owners if cyberbullying happens on their platform.

AUTHOR PROF. ASSOCIATE DR. MOHD KHAIRUL NAIM BIN CHE NORDIN, Associate Professor Department of Aqidah and Islamic Thought, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya.

This article is translated from the original Malay article. It is the author's personal view and does not necessarily represent the official view or position of RTM.