“BULLYING MAKES ME HAPPY”, CYBERBULLYING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE HARASSER

Esteban-Rivera E.R.; Claudio-Cortez N.L.; Polinar-Abad Z.D.; Vásquez-Velásquez N.; Callupe-Becerra S.F.; Rojas-Cotrina A.R.; Cámara-Acero A.A.; López-Rengifo C.F. · New Trends in Qualitative Research (2026) · DOI: 10.36367/ntqr.22.1.2026.e1305

Resumen

Cell phones have become an essential device in the lives of adolescents and young adults, who frequently use them to communicate and access social media, although these platforms are also scenarios for virtual violence or cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a growing problem in adolescents, and has been studied primarily among victims, with few studies from the perspective of the aggressors. The present study aims to interpret the experiences of adolescents who cyberbully. Qualitative research was adopted under the interpretive paradigm, employing the hermeneutic phenomenological method. Ten adolescent aggressors were interviewed in four educational institutions, identified through snowball sampling. Among the findings, diverse motivations for bullying were identified, such as feelings of revenge, the pursuit of pleasure, the need for assertion of superiority, and the desire to exert emotional control over the victims. The most common forms of cyberbullying include the dissemination of offensive memes, insults, and threats, usually carried out anonymously and with the complicity of peers. It is concluded that, while bullying and cyberbullying have particularities, they share common psychosocial characteristics among the aggressors and can even coexist simultaneously. Both phenomena generate negative effects not only on the victims but also on the school climate and the social dynamics of the adolescent environment. In this sense, there is a need to design and implement interdisciplinary intervention strategies aimed at strengthening the socio-emotional and moral well-being of both aggressors and victims, with the aim of preventing and mitigating their impacts.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Hermilio Valdizán; Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú