Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.56> Article
Research Article

How Social Media Participation Impact Identity and Civic Engagement? A Study of Intersection of School Bullying Content on Social Media, Identity and Civic Engagement

Mengyi HeSchool of International Studies, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450000, China* Yingying WangPerformance and cultural industries, University of Leeds, Leeds, Ls2 9JT, UK Yuanhong WangShanghai Pinghe High School

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This study mainly investigates how social media use impact users’ identity and civic engagement. In this study, we are looking into the topic of school bullying issue on social media. The popularity of social media has allowed more incidents of school bullying to come to light and generate public discussion. In order to gain a nuanced understanding of the relationship between social media, identity and civic engagement, this study collected the opinions of 197 participants through a questionnaire, resulting in 193 valid samples. The results suggest that engaging in social media content related to school bullying strengthens one's sense of identity and social responsibility, and promotes participation in anti-bullying social activities. This study used a quantitative method to collect data through an online questionnaire. The survey design was divided into two parts, with the first part containing basic information about the participants and their social media usage, and the second part exploring the participants' understanding of and reaction to a highly publicised incident of school bullying on Chinese social media as an example. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used for data analysis. It was found that users who engaged in school bullying content were more likely to actively participate in relevant social discussions, enhance their understanding of social phenomena, and demonstrate stronger civic engagement behaviours in real life. This provides valuable insights for policymakers, educational institutions and social media platforms aimed at promoting positive interactions and civic engagement in society.

Keywords: Social Media; School Bullying; Civic Identity; Civic Engagement
Published: March 13, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2024.21480
Volume: CHR Vol.56
pp. 100-110
Download PDF

References

  1. Yang, G. (2009). The Power of the Internet in China: Citizen Activism Online. Columbia University Press.
  2. Zúñiga, H. G., Jung, N., & Valenzuela, S. (2012). Social media use for news and individuals' social capital, civic engagement, and political participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17(3), 319-336.
  3. Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. Norton.
  4. Boyd, D. (2014). It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press.
  5. Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2010). Cyberbullying and self-esteem. Journal of School Health, 80(12), 614-621.
  6. Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon and Schuster.
  7. Zhuravskaya, E, M Petrova and R Enikolopov (2019), ‘DP13996 Political Effects of the Internet and Social Media‘, CEPR Discussion Paper No. 13996. CEPR Press, Paris & London. https://cepr.org/publications/dp13996
  8. Zukin, C., Keeter, S., Andolina, M., Jenkins, K., & Carpini, M. X. D. (2006). A new engagement? Political participation, civic life, and the changing American citizen. Oxford University Press.
  9. Statista (2019). Daily time spent on social networking by internet users worldwide from 2012 to 2019. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/ [Accessed 1st. July, 2024).
  10. Bargh J.A. & Yang, Guobin. (2003). The Co-Evolution of the Internet and Civil Society in China. Asian Survey. 43. 405-422. 10.1525/as.2003.43.3.405
  11. Kraut, R, Patterson, M, & Lundmark, V, et al. (1998). Internet paradox: a social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? American Psychologist ,53(9), 1017–1031.
  12. Nie, N. H., & Erbring, L. (2000). Our shrinking social universe. Public Perspective, 11(3), 44-45.
  13. Bennett, W.L. (2008). Changing citizenship in the digital age. In: Bennett WL (ed.) Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1–24.
  14. Shah D.V., Cho J., Eveland J.P., et al. (2005). Information and expression in a digital age: modeling internet effects on civic participation. Communication Research. 32(5): 531–565.
  15. Bennett, W.L. & Segerberg, A. (2012). The logic of connective action. Information, Communication & Society, 15, 1–30.
  16. Hart, D., Richardson, C. and Wilkenfeld, B. (2011). ‘Civic Identity’, in S.J. Schwartz,
  17. Rojas, H., & Puig-i-Abril, E. (2009). Mobilizers Mobilized: Information, Expression, Mobilization and Participation in the Digital Age. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(4), 902–927. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01475.x
  18. Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: Teenagers' use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy, and self-expression. New Media & Society, 10(3), 393-411.
  19. Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do. Blackwell.
  20. Smith, P. K., Mahdavi, J., Carvalho, M., Fisher, S., Russell, S., & Tippett, N. (2008). Cyberbullying: Its nature and impact in secondary school pupils. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(4), 376-385.
  21. Li, Q. (2010). Cyberbullying in high schools: A study of students' behaviors and beliefs about this new phenomenon. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 19(4), 372-392.
  22. Yang, G. (2003). The Co-Evolution of the Internet and Civil Society in China. Asian Survey. 43. 405-422. 10.1525/as.2003.43.3.405.
  23. Jennings, M.K., (1997). Political participation in the Chinese countryside. American Political Science Review, 91(2), 361-372.
  24. Chen, A., (2002). Capitalist development, entrepreneurial class, and democratization in china. Political Science Quarterly, 117, 401–422.
  25. Ying, T. (2007). China's Public Sphere. Renmin University of China Press.
  26. Jugert, P. et al. (2013). Offline and Online Civic Engagement Among Adolescents and Young Adults from Three Ethnic Groups, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(1), 123–135.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9805-4.
  27. Kim, Y., & Amna, E. (2015). Civic engagement: Comparing theory with practice. Journal of Adolescence, 41, 55-67.
  28. Ditch the Label. (2020). The Annual Bullying Survey 2020. Available from: https://www.internetmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/The-Annual-Bullying-Survey-2020.pdf [Accessed 2nd July 2024]
  29. Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2004). Online aggressor/targets, aggressors, and targets: a comparison of associated youth characteristics. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(7), 1308–1316. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00328.x
  30. Brace, V., Penney, G., & Hall, M. (2004). Quantifying severe maternal morbidity: A Scottish population study. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 111(5), 481-484. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2004.00115.x
  31. Lietz, P.(2010) Research into questionnaire design: A summary of the literature.
  32. Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook "friends": Social capital and college students' use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143-1168.
  33. Batson, C. D. (2009). These Things Called Empathy: Eight Related but Distinct Phenomena. In J. Decety & W. Ickes (Eds.), The Social Neuroscience of Empathy (pp. 3-15). MIT Press.
  34. Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Okdie, B. M., Eckles, K., & Franz, B. (2014). Who compares and despairs? The effect of social comparison orientation on social media use and its outcomes. Personality and Individual Differences, 64, 89-96.
  35. Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body Image, 13, 38-45.
  36. Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1999). Net surfers don't ride alone: Virtual communities as communities. In M. A. Smith & P. Kollock (Eds.), Communities in Cyberspace (pp. 167-193). Routledge.
  37. Castells, M. (2009). Communication Power. Oxford University Press.
  38. Sunstein, C. R. (2009). Republic.com 2.0. Princeton University Press.