Cyber Motivations for Aggression and Deviance (Cyber-MAD)
- Article: DeMarsico, D., Bounoua, N., Miglin, R., & Sadeh, N. (2021). Aggression in the Digital Era: Assessing the Validity of the Cyber Motivations for Aggression and Deviance Scale. Assessment, 1073191121990088.
- Assesses the motivations of adult cyber-aggression
- Factor analysis of the motivations for cyber-aggression indicated an eight-factor model best fit the data with separable factors emerging for cyber-aggression motivated by a desire to…
- Social Bonding – affiliate with others
- bonding with others who think like me
- making friends with like-minded people
- connecting with others who share my views or opinions
- Social Activism – advance or defend political/social issues
- supporting a political cause or moral viewpoint that is important to me
- combating rival or opposing cultural, political, or social groups
- fighting fake news
- trying to change someone’s opinion about a social or political issue
- Reactive Aggression – act on angry feelings
- feeling upset about hurtful, mean, or insulting posts or messages
- provoked by aggressive messages or posts
- defending myself or people I care about in response to insults or attack
- feeling angry or frustrated at other people or their posts/messages
- Interpersonal Distress – cope with relationship stress
- feeling rejected or lonely
- trying to get the attention of someone close to me
- scared a romantic partner or friend is planning to breakup with me
- trying to keep a loved one from leaving or abandoning me
- feeling jealous or envious of other people after viewing their posts or messages
- Impulsivity – satisfy impulsive urges
- struggling to control my urges or impulses
- feeling out of control or impulsive
- acting without thinking
- Virtual Dissociation – adopt a new online persona
- pretending to be someone I’m not for fun
- posing as another person using a fake or anonymous online identity
- wanting to act like a different or new person
- Thrill-Seeking – experience excitement
- feeling bored or looking for entertainment
- wanting to feel excitement or get a thrill
- wanting to escape my dull life
- Vengeance – seek revenge
- trying to get revenge against someone
- punishing someone who betrayed me
- getting even with someone
- Social Bonding – affiliate with others
-
- It includes a brief assessment of seven types of cyber-aggression to enable researchers to screen the degree and range of forms of online aggression perpetrated by participants:
- Flaming (e.g., inciting arguments with hostile or insulting attacks)
- Trolling (e.g., disseminating irritating or upsetting material)
- Social exclusion (e.g., blocking access to an online community)
- Harassment (e.g., using threats or intimidation)
- Defamation (e.g., disseminating cruel, untrue, or harmful material)
- Outing (e.g., sharing others’ personal, sensitive, or embarrassing information)
- Masquerading (e.g., pretending to be someone else to deceive or manipulate)
- These questions are also necessary to identify individuals for whom the motivation questions do not apply, because they do not have a history of cyber-aggression.
- It includes a brief assessment of seven types of cyber-aggression to enable researchers to screen the degree and range of forms of online aggression perpetrated by participants:
-
- One item asks participants about the targets of their cyber-aggression to assay the perpetrator’s relationship with the target of the aggressive behavior:
- strangers
- coworkers
- friends
- family
- romantic partners
- ex-romantic partners
- celebrities/ political figures
- One item asks participants about the targets of their cyber-aggression to assay the perpetrator’s relationship with the target of the aggressive behavior:
-
- It also includes questions about the amount of time each day they spend on 11 online platforms where cyber-aggression occurs, “On a typical day, how often do you use a digital device (e.g., smartphone, laptop, work computer, video game console) to spend time on the following websites or apps?”:
- Social networking or sharing websites (e.g., Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram)
- Media sharing and messaging (e.g., YouTube)
- News or political outlets (e.g., CNN, Fox News)
- Shopping or product reviews (e.g., Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor)
- Texting, instant messaging, or chatrooms (e.g., Whatsapp, Kik)
- Video gaming (e.g. Steam, Twitch)
- Online gambling or fantasy sports (e.g., Bovada, DraftKings)
- Dating websites / Apps (e.g., Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid)
- Cybersex platforms / Apps (e.g., AdultXXXDate)
- Anonymous sharing websites (e.g., Reddit)
- These questions were included to provide researchers with the ability to exclude individuals who do not use online platforms, and therefore, do not have the opportunity to perpetrate cyber-aggression.
- It also includes questions about the amount of time each day they spend on 11 online platforms where cyber-aggression occurs, “On a typical day, how often do you use a digital device (e.g., smartphone, laptop, work computer, video game console) to spend time on the following websites or apps?”:
Cyber Motivations for Aggression and Deviance (Cyber-MAD)