With the rise of technology in everyday life, also negative developments go hand in hand. Cyberbullying describes the insulting, threatening, exposition or harassment of other people over a longer period of time via the internet. It often targets the body and behaviour of a person, but it can also focus on the look, clothes, religion, nationality or sexuality.
In many cases, cyberbullying is the continuation of real-world mobbing in social networks. It is characterized by the use of modern communication technologies with smartphones becoming more and more important as a medium for these criminal activities.
There are different ways for cyberbullying to be carried out. Insults can be sent through e-mail or instant messaging services. They can also be posted in chats, forums or on social network walls. In addition to text-based cyberbullying, it also includes the online distribution of pictures or movies. These pictures or movies are often modified in a way that they are insulting or expose a victim.