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

• • 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.

• • 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

• • 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)
    • Email
    • 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.

Cyber Motivations for Aggression and Deviance (Cyber-MAD)

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