What characterizes direct cyberbullying?

Direct cyberbullying is characterized by immediate and personal communication that occurs through direct messages on devices, such as texting or messaging apps. This method involves the bully targeting the victim explicitly and involves direct, targeted messages that can be harmful or threatening. The immediacy of this communication type adds to the potential for emotional distress for the victim, as they are encountering direct hostility from the bully in real-time.

While indirect messages through third parties may involve spreading gossip or rumors, they do not classify as direct cyberbullying because they do not involve the bully addressing the victim directly. Similarly, communication via social media can include both direct and indirect forms of interaction, but it is not limited to messaging, which is essential for defining direct cyberbullying. Anonymous online postings may also contribute to cyberbullying but do not involve a direct identification of the victim from the bully at that moment, diluting the immediacy and personal nature that characterizes direct cyberbullying.