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The Means to Justify the End: Combating Cyber Harassment in Social Media

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Abstract

Cyber harassment can have harmful effects on social media users, such as emotional distress and, consequently, withdrawal from social network sites or even life itself. At the same time, users are often upset when network providers intervene and deem such an intrusion an unjust occurrence. This article analyzes how decisions to intervene can be communicated in such a way that users consider them adequate and acceptable. A first experiment shows that informational justice perceptions of social network users depend on the format in which network providers present the decision to intervene. More specifically, if a decision to intervene is presented in the form of a story, as opposed to an analytical rendering of facts and arguments, decisions to intervene prompt more positive informational justice perceptions. A second experiment reveals that when users relate the experience to themselves, narrative transportation increases, which positively affects perceptions of the justice of decisions to intervene.

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Notes

  1. Analyzes were also run without covariates. The only major differences were inflated effect sizes.

  2. I tested all materials with an extensive pretest.

  3. See the Appendix for all complete scales.

  4. Unlike Experiment 1, I did not deem it useful to measure social identification, because I only considered personal identity violation in Experiment 2.

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Acknowledgments

The author gratefully acknowledges the suggestions of Katja Brunk, Ko de Ruyter, Joëlle Vanhamme, and Martin Wetzels on a previous version of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, ESCP Europe Business School, 527 Finchley Road, London, NW3 7BG, UK

    Tom van Laer

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  1. Tom van Laer
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Correspondence to Tom van Laer.

Appendix

Appendix

Informational Justice Perception

  1. 1.

    The network provider has been candid in his communications with you.

  2. 2.

    The network provider has explained the procedures thoroughly.

  3. 3.

    The network provider’s explanations regarding the procedures were reasonable.

  4. 4.

    The network provider has communicated details in a timely manner.

  5. 5.

    The network provider has seemed to tailor his communications to your specific needs.

Narrative Transportation

  1. 1.

    While I was reading the wall post, I could easily picture the events in it taking place.

  2. 2.

    While I was reading the wall post, activity going on in the room around me was on my mind. (reverse coded)

  3. 3.

    I could picture myself in the scene of the events described in the wall post.

  4. 4.

    I was mentally involved in the wall post while reading it.

  5. 5.

    After finishing the wall post, I found it easy to put it out of my mind. (reverse coded)

  6. 6.

    I wanted to learn how the wall post ended.

  7. 7.

    The wall post affected me emotionally.

  8. 8.

    I found myself thinking of ways the wall post could have turned out differently.

  9. 9.

    I found my mind wandering while reading the wall post. (reverse coded)

  10. 10.

    The events in the wall post are relevant to my everyday life.

  11. 11.

    The events in the wall post have changed my life.

  12. 12.

    While reading the wall post I had a vivid image of the victim(s).

Social Identification

  1. 1.

    Being a [social network site name] user is a big part of my identity.

  2. 2.

    Being a [social network site name] user is important to me.

  3. 3.

    I feel proud to be a part of the [social network site name] family.

Fantasy Absorption

  1. 1.

    If I wish, I can imagine (or daydream) some things so vividly that they hold my attention in the way a good movie or story does.

  2. 2.

    I can tell a story with elaborations to make it sound better and then have the elaboration seem as real to me as the actual incident, or almost so.

  3. 3.

    I am sometimes able to forget about my present self and get absorbed in a fantasy that I am someone else.

Need for Cognition

  1. 1.

    I would prefer complex to simple problems.

  2. 2.

    I like to have the responsibility of handling a situation that requires a lot of thinking.

  3. 3.

    Thinking is not my idea of fun. (reverse coded)

  4. 4.

    I would rather do something that requires little thought than something that is sure to challenge my thinking abilities. (reverse coded)

  5. 5.

    I try to anticipate and avoid situations where there is likely a chance I will have to think in depth about something. (reverse coded)

  6. 6.

    I find satisfaction in deliberating hard and for long hours.

  7. 7.

    I only think as hard as I have to. (reverse coded)

  8. 8.

    I prefer to think about small, daily projects to long-term ones. (reverse coded)

  9. 9.

    I like tasks that require little thought once I have learned them. (reverse coded)

  10. 10.

    The idea of relying on thought to make my way to the top appeals to me.

  11. 11.

    I really enjoy a task that involves coming up with new solutions to problems.

  12. 12.

    Learning new ways to think does not excite me very much. (reverse coded)

  13. 13.

    I prefer my life to be filled with puzzles that I must solve.

  14. 14.

    The notion of thinking abstractly is appealing to me.

  15. 15.

    I would prefer a task that is intellectual, difficult, and important to one that is somewhat important but does not require much thought.

  16. 16.

    I feel relief rather than satisfaction after completing a task that required a lot of mental effort. (reverse coded)

  17. 17.

    It is enough for me that something gets the job done; I do not care how or why it works. (reverse coded)

  18. 18.

    I usually end up deliberating about issues even when they do not affect me personally.

Reported Identity Violation

Personal Identity Violation

  1. 1.

    I feel like the decision that the network provider made violated some of my personal identity.

  2. 2.

    The decision that the network provider made goes against things that are central (i.e., very important) to my personal identity.

  3. 3.

    I feel that the network provider’s decision violated something that is very important to my personal identity.

  4. 4.

    The network provider’s decision disregarded some things that I value and that are a part of my personal identity.

Social Identity Violation

  1. 5.

    I feel the decision that the network provider made is damaging to the [social network site name] users.

  2. 6.

    The decision that the network provider made goes against [social network site name] users.

  3. 7.

    I feel that the network provider’s decision violated something that is very important to [social network site name] users.

  4. 8.

    The network provider’s decision disregarded some things that I value and that are a part of my identity as a [social network site name] user.

Storytelling

  1. 1.

    The main story character experiences an inciting incident.

  2. 2.

    There is a mundane presentation of the self in everyday life of a main story character in the story.

  3. 3.

    The main story character found the wall post engages in actions to achieve goals.

  4. 4.

    The wall post presents a story that informs about conscious and/or unconscious thoughts of the main story character.

  5. 5.

    The wall post presents a story about how personal evolution or change in the life of the main story character occurs.

  6. 6.

    The wall post describes a world of personal block that does/may prevent goal attainment.

  7. 7.

    The wall post has a beginning, middle, and end.

  8. 8.

    The wall post presents a main story character in clear-cut situations.

  9. 9.

    The wall post has a main story character who offers a lesson learned.

Attitude Toward Interventions

I think interventions are in general….

  1. 1.

    bad—good.

  2. 2.

    wise—unwise. (reverse coded)

  3. 3.

    pleasant—unpleasant. (reverse coded)

  4. 4.

    negative—positive.

Reported Self-referencing

  1. 1.

    To what extent did you think about your experiences with cyber harassment?

  2. 2.

    To what extent did you think what it would be like to be harassed in social media?

  3. 3.

    To what extent were you reminded of your own experiences with cyber harassment?

  4. 4.

    To what extent did you believe that the wall post seemed to be written with you in mind?

  5. 5.

    To what extent did you believe that the wall post related to you personally?

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van Laer, T. The Means to Justify the End: Combating Cyber Harassment in Social Media. J Bus Ethics 123, 85–98 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1806-z

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