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'The Social Media, Online and Digital Abuse and Harassment of Social Workers, Probation Officers and Social Work Students in Ireland: A National Survey'

Authors

Kenneth Burns, Olwen Halvey, Fiachra Ó Súilleabháin, Elaine O’Callaghan, Gabriel Coelho

Year
2024
Journal Name
The British Journal of Social Work
Category
Journal Article
Keywords
cyberbullying, social work, online abuse, social workers
Project

Social media, online & digital abuse and harassment. Find out more at: SMOA | University College Cork

Full Citation

Kenneth Burns, Olwen Halvey, Fiachra Ó Súilleabháin, Elaine O’Callaghan, Gabriel Coelho, 'The Social Media, Online and Digital Abuse and Harassment of Social Workers, Probation Officers and Social Work Students in Ireland: A National Survey', The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 54, Issue 7, October 2024, Pages 3274–3294, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcae091

Link to Publication
 https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcae091

Abstract

An estimated five billion people use social media globally. The digital world enables networking and community-building beyond geographical and jurisdictional boundaries, it can facilitate information-sharing and knowledge development, and facilitates speedy access and communications links. On the other hand, digital and social media platforms can also be sources and purveyors of hurt, discrimination, defamation, hatred, abuse, cyberbullying and disinformation. Their increased usage within professional practice has become a nascent area for scholarly debate and research. Our scoping literature search indicated that there are very few studies examining this issue within the profession. This article seeks to address a considerable gap in the research by reporting the findings from an exploratory study in Ireland focusing on social workers, probation officers and social work students. Three hundred seventy-nine participants completed an online survey on their experiences of using social media, with eighty-three (21.9 per cent) participants indicating that they had experienced online and digital abuse and harassment. Facebook, Twitter (now X), and email were the top three sources of abuse and harassment by platform.

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