ANVESHAK-International Journal of Management

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Cyber Bullying:A Psycho-Social Study of the Entry Level Employees of the Hotel Industry in Kolkata


Affiliations
1 The Business School, Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland, United Kingdom
2 University of Southampton, England, United Kingdom
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Technology continues to grow rapidly and is therefore changing our ways of functioning in society. Recent advancements of Communication Technology, while providing us with conveniences, also expose us to interactions that put our safety and emotional well-being at risk. This article examines one of the harmful effects of technology, cyber bullying, which is a new form of harassment with distinct differences in structure, content and impact. A review of concerned literature shows that cyber bullying is becoming a serious problem in India and most of the people do not take any step when they are cyber bullied. Very few share their issues with their colleagues and/or family members or legal enforcement agencies. Another interesting finding was that cyber bullying and victimization are closely related. This finding call for a systematic understanding of cyber bullying that requires us to scrutinize the social and virtual relationships which are prone to cyber bullying. Cyber bullying has become a major social concern because it raises questions about techno ethics. The present paper is based on an exploration of the perception, experiences and the Psycho-social impact of victimization from cyber bullying among the Entry Level Employees of the Hotel Industry in Kolkata. The exploratory investigation is based on the following theoretical framework- Bandura’s Theory of Triadic Reciprocal Determinism and the General Strain Theory. This framework posits that human behaviour is influenced by an individual’s confrontation with various stimuli. Confrontation with negative stimuli, such as that involving cyber abuse, often results in a various psychological affects among victims that may be detrimental to their overall well-being. The study investigates why and how the ‘Entry Level’ Employees of the Hotel Industry in Kolkata, become victims of cyber bullying. It also focuses on the nature of cyber bullying in virtual space and reveals how those, who are bullied, react and why the victims mostly do not report the incident and take legal action. Primary data was collected through face to face semi structured open ended interviews with 30 ‘Entry Level’ Employees of the HotelIndustry – in the age group of between the age group of 22-26 years- working in different hotels in Kolkata (15 female and 15 male employees) and had faced cyber abuse in any form. The respondents were chosen by purposive sampling, followed by snow balling. Based on the analysis of the interview, the main finding of the empirical study were analyzed in the following sub-themes- i) effect of recurring instance of cybe crime, ii) self blaming and suspecting technology as well as people, and decline in self esteem, iii) feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless due to lack of control over cyber abuse.

Keywords

Communication Technology, Cyber bullying in Kolkata, Entry-Level Employees, General Strain Theory, Hotel industry, Triadic Reciprocal Determinism.
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Bandura, A. (1997). “Self efficacy: The exercise of control”. New York: Freeman, 1997.

  • Bond, S., Tuckey, M., Dollard, M. (2010). “Psychosocial safety climate, workplace bullying and symptoms of posttraumatic stress”, Organizational development Journal, 2010, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 37-56.

  • Blair, J. (2003). “New breed of bullies torments their peers on the internet”, Education Week, Vol. 22, No. 21, pp. 6-6.

  • Campbell, M. (2005). “Cyber bullying: An old problem in a new guise”? Australian Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 2005, Vol. 15, No. 10, pp. 68-76.

  • DeHue, F., Bolman, C., Vollink, T. (2008). “Cyberbullying: Youngsters experiences and parental perception”, Cyber Psychology and Behavior, 2008, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 217-222.

  • Delany-Black, V., Covington, C., Ondersma, S. J., Nordstrom-Klee, B., Templin, T., Ager, J. (2002). “Violence exposure, trauma and IQ and/or reading deficits among urban children”, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2002, Vol. 156, pp. 280-285.

  • Hoobler, J., Rospenda, K., Lemmon, G., Rosa, J. (2010). “A within-subject longitudinal study of the effects of positive job experiences and generalized workplace harassment on well-being”, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2010, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 434-451.

  • Juvonen, J., Gross, E. (2008). “Extending the school grounds? Bullying experiences in Cyberspace”, Journal of School Health, 2008, Vol. 78, No. 9, pp. 496-505.

  • Kowalski, R., & munLimber, S. (2007). “Electronic bullying among middle school students”, Journal of Adolescent Health, 2007, Vol. 41, pp. S22-S30.

  • Mason, K. L. (2008). “Cyberbullying: A Preliminary Assessment for School Personnel”. Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 323-348.

  • McKay, R., Arnold, D., Fratzl, J., & Thomas, R. (2008). “Workplace bullying in academia: A Canadian study”, Employee Responsibilities Rights, 2008, Vol. 20, pp. 77-100.

  • Patchin, J., & Hinduja, S. (2007). “Offline consequences of online victimization: school violence and delinquency”, Journal of School Violence, 2007, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 89-112.

  • Privitera, C., & Campbell, M. (2009). “Cyber bullying: The new face of workplace bullying”? Cyber Psychology and Behaviour, 2009, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 395-400.

  • Rivituso, G. (2012). “Cyberbullying: An Exploration of the Lived Experiences and the Psychological Impact of Victimization among College Students an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis” (Dissertation). Northwestern University, Boston, MA.

  • Smith, J., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). “Interpretative phenomenological analysis”, Thousand Oaks: Sage.

  • Strom, P. S. & Strom, R. D. (2005). “Cyberbullying by Adolescents: A Preliminary Assessment”. The Educational Forum. Vol. 70, pp. 21-36.

  • Vandebosch, H., & Van Cleemput, K. (2008). “Defining cyberbullying: A qualitative research into the pewrceptions of youngsters”, Cyber Psychology and Behavior, 2008, Vol. 4, pp. 499-503.

  • Van der Kolb, B. A., (2003). “The neurobiology of childhood trauma and abuse”, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic of North America, 2003, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 393-397.

  • Wong, M., Rosemond, M., Stein, B. Langley, A., Kataoka, S., & Nadeem, E. (2007). “School Based Intervention for Adolescents Exposed to Violence”. Prevention Researcher. Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 17-20.

  • Wood, R., & Bandura, A. (1989). “Social cognitive theory of organizational management”, Academy of Management Review, 1989, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 361-384.

  • Yardi, S., & Bruckman, A. (2011). Social and technical challenges in parenting teens’ social media use. Proceedings of Annual Conference on Human Factor Computing, 2011.

  • Ybarra, M. L. (2004). “Linkages between depressive symptomatology and Internet harassment among young regular Internet users”, Cyber Psychology and Behavior, 2004, pp. 247-257.


Abstract Views: 244

PDF Views: 0




  • Cyber Bullying:A Psycho-Social Study of the Entry Level Employees of the Hotel Industry in Kolkata

Abstract Views: 244  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Krishanu Bhattacharyya
The Business School, Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland, United Kingdom
Tulika Bhattacharyya
University of Southampton, England, United Kingdom

Abstract


Technology continues to grow rapidly and is therefore changing our ways of functioning in society. Recent advancements of Communication Technology, while providing us with conveniences, also expose us to interactions that put our safety and emotional well-being at risk. This article examines one of the harmful effects of technology, cyber bullying, which is a new form of harassment with distinct differences in structure, content and impact. A review of concerned literature shows that cyber bullying is becoming a serious problem in India and most of the people do not take any step when they are cyber bullied. Very few share their issues with their colleagues and/or family members or legal enforcement agencies. Another interesting finding was that cyber bullying and victimization are closely related. This finding call for a systematic understanding of cyber bullying that requires us to scrutinize the social and virtual relationships which are prone to cyber bullying. Cyber bullying has become a major social concern because it raises questions about techno ethics. The present paper is based on an exploration of the perception, experiences and the Psycho-social impact of victimization from cyber bullying among the Entry Level Employees of the Hotel Industry in Kolkata. The exploratory investigation is based on the following theoretical framework- Bandura’s Theory of Triadic Reciprocal Determinism and the General Strain Theory. This framework posits that human behaviour is influenced by an individual’s confrontation with various stimuli. Confrontation with negative stimuli, such as that involving cyber abuse, often results in a various psychological affects among victims that may be detrimental to their overall well-being. The study investigates why and how the ‘Entry Level’ Employees of the Hotel Industry in Kolkata, become victims of cyber bullying. It also focuses on the nature of cyber bullying in virtual space and reveals how those, who are bullied, react and why the victims mostly do not report the incident and take legal action. Primary data was collected through face to face semi structured open ended interviews with 30 ‘Entry Level’ Employees of the HotelIndustry – in the age group of between the age group of 22-26 years- working in different hotels in Kolkata (15 female and 15 male employees) and had faced cyber abuse in any form. The respondents were chosen by purposive sampling, followed by snow balling. Based on the analysis of the interview, the main finding of the empirical study were analyzed in the following sub-themes- i) effect of recurring instance of cybe crime, ii) self blaming and suspecting technology as well as people, and decline in self esteem, iii) feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless due to lack of control over cyber abuse.

Keywords


Communication Technology, Cyber bullying in Kolkata, Entry-Level Employees, General Strain Theory, Hotel industry, Triadic Reciprocal Determinism.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.15410/aijm%2F2018%2Fv7i2%2F128549