Multidiscursivity of Cyberbullying as the Epiphenomenon of Social Media Communication in a Screen Society

Abstract

Communication modes have significantly changed in recent years. Digitalisation and cybernation of social, scientific and cultural life have caused the emergence of new forms and means of communication. That induces shaping some specific behavioural profiles and manifesting negative traits on the web that sociocultural shifts drive. Cyberbullying has become a highly unwelcome epiphenomenon in social media communication. The inevitable transformation of rapidly changing worldview paradigms, cultural sets and stereotypes actualise the processes determining it. Language reflects those processes and objectifies the modes of communication in cyberspace. They require new research strategies within an interdisciplinary approach. Nonverbal forms of cyberbullying are also fairly common; they combine with language structures to form syncretic patterns. The article discusses the theoretical bases of circulation of those patterns in the multimodal aspect as that approach moves beyond merely language analysis and reveals the polymorphism and multidiscursivity of online communication. Depending on the type of cyberbullying, using various verbal and nonverbal techniques may be of interest in controlling a cyberbully. Clarifying the strategies for representing cyberbullying contributes to a greater understanding of one of the most crucial aspects of social media communication. Keywords: Networking, Bullying, Cyberspace, Language, Multimodality, Internet