From cyberbullying to well‐being: A narrative‐based participatory approach to values‐oriented design for social media

Abstract

This study looks at mean and cruel online behavior through the lens of design, with the goal of developing positive technologies for youth. Narrative inquiry was used as a research method, allowing two focus groups—one composed of teens and the other of undergraduate students—to map out 4 cyberbullying stories. Each cyberbullying story revealed 2 subplots—the story that “is” (as perceived by these participants) and the story that “could be” (if the participants' design recommendations were embedded in social media). The study resulted in a user‐generated framework for designing affordances on social media sites to counter acts of cyberbullying. Seven emergent design themes are evident in the participants' cyberbullying narratives: design for hesitation, design for consequence, design for empathy, design for personal empowerment, design for fear, design for attention, and design for control and suppression. We conclude with a typological analysis of the values present in the participants' design recommendations, applying C heng and F leischman's values framework (2010).