Reification of the Teenage Victim: How Canadian News Frames Cyberbullying as a Social Problem

Abstract

This study utilizes framing theory to conduct a mixed method content analysis of Canadian print news coverage of four high-profile teen suicides linked with cyberbullying. Results demonstrate that print news discourse frames cyberbullying as a social problem. News coverage of these deaths emphasizes more female victims than males, demonstrating a predisposition to focus on more ideal victims in the construction of social problems. Each case involves a process of reducing complicated circumstances leading to the teen’s death down to overly simplified caricatures portrayed as victims for the cause of cyberbullying. The social problem frame emphasizes the need for public attention and awareness of cyberbullying as well as new legislation to address an emerging issue. It is unclear whether legal changes in response to such extreme cases will impact the more common instances of what the literature describes as cyberbullying.