Practical uses of our research 2: the school

As a result of the research we also hope to change the perception of the difficult problem of taunting at schools by arguing for the need to:-

• Shift the focus from identifying ‘victims’ and ‘bullies’ to understanding the wider context of taunting at schools.

• Examine the the specific consequences of social media such as the use of ‘indirects’ (messages that don’t specify the person they are directed at), the ‘hiding behind a screen’ and the expansion of such behaviour from the playground to the home.

• Understanding that although the use of social media has these consequences, this is mainly a displacement of problems onto social media. Social media has changed but may not increase this problematic behaviour.

Can you think of any other examples where you hope the study of social media could be put to practical use? Please use the comments section to let us know.