Press Room

• reacting without thinking to a real or perceived insult;

• inability or unwillingness to put a real or perceived injustice in the past;

• expecting academic success without taking personal responsibility for attaining it.

The effects of cyberbullying can be both wide-ranging and long-term for targeted faculty. Research demonstrates that professors who are victims of cyberbullying may:

• avoid using communication technologies like social media;

• reduce the type of information they share with students (such as personal stories that illustrate lesson points);

• suffer online reputation damage that is difficult to fix;

• feel anxious about being in the classroom;

• lose confidence in dealing with students;

• have less job satisfaction;

• quit teaching.
  

“Cyberbullies don’t usually inflict physical damage, so it’s easy for other people to miss or even ignore the very real psychological damage that does occur,” explains Vogl-Bauer. “And yet, cyberbullying can be toxic even for those who aren’t targets.” Research reveals that an apparent lack of support by academic leadership for targets can demoralize other staff on campus.

Vogl-Bauer adds that, although professors may seek some type of justice as a result of being bullied, society has strong expectations about how teachers should respond to negative student behaviors. These expectations, coupled with a lack of options and support, can create significant obstacles when faculty try to defend against cyberbullies, and may leave them with the impression that only the First Amendment rights of the bullies are being protected.