Bullying is a hot topic, and rightly so. In September, another teenager took his own life after being relentlessly cyberbullied (see the ABC News report on Jamey Rodemayer and Bullying). Schools and school districts are ramping up anti-bullying programs to build support systems and build in consequences.
But researchers Danah Boyd and Alice Marwick question how effective they will be in their New York Times Op-Ed piece, “Bullying as True Drama.”
Boyd and Marwick, both researchers for Microsoft Research, believe that the way adults discuss bullying is out of sync with the way teens view it.
“Teenagers repeatedly told us that bullying was something that happened only in elementary or middle school,” they write. “While teenagers denounced bullying, they—especially girls—would describe a host of interpersonal conflicts playing out in their lives as ‘drama.’”
Boyd and Marwick said that teens use the term “drama” to diminish the importance of something. The term avoids classifying them as victims … or as bullies.” Admitting that they are being bullied—or worse, that they are bullies—slots them into a narrative that’s disempowering and makes them feel weak and childish.”
The researchers believe the key to successful intervention is to not make the teens see themselves as victims or abusers, but to help them understand where “drama” does have serious consequences, using positive concepts, “like healthy relationships and digital citizenship.”
Read Boyd and Marwick’s op-ed article.
Stop Bullying: A Private-Independent School’s Responsibility
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM’s three-part Bullying in the 21st Century Webinar series is available in the ISM e-learning recorded archives
ISM Monthly Update for Division Heads, Vol. 7 No. 8 The Bullying Epidemic
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Directors, Vol. 9 No. 2 Bullying Isn't the Only Factor in Teen Suicides
Additional ISM articles for Consortium members
I&P, Vol. 26. No. 6 Sexual Orientation, Harassment, and Victimization: Establish a Safe Environment
