Bystander intervention can reduce the amount of cyberbullying victimization on social media, but bystanders often fail to act. Limited accountability for their behavior and a lack of empathy for the victim are frequently cited as reasons for why bystanders do not act against cyberbullying. We developed design interventions that aimed to increase accountability and empathy among bystanders. In Study 1, participants were experimentally exposed to three social media posts with different types of empathy nudges. Empathy nudges embedded into social media posts displayed the potential to motivate empathy. In Study 2, participants took part in a 3-day experiment that simulated a social media experience. Results suggested that increased social transparency on social media promoted accountability through heightened self-presentation concerns, but empathy nudges did not encourage greater bystander empathy. Both accountability and empathy predicted bystander intervention, but the types of bystander actions promoted by each mechanism differed. We consider how these results contribute to theories of bystander behavior and designing social media to promote prosocial behaviors.

Although bystander intervention can mitigate the negative effects of cyberbullying, few bystanders ever attempt to intervene. In this study, we explored the effects of interface design on bystander intervention using a simulated custom-made social media platform. Participants took part in a three-day, in-situ experiment, in which they were exposed to several cyberbullying incidents. Depending on the experimental condition, they received different information about the audience size and viewing notifications intended to increase a sense of personal responsibility in bystanders. Results indicated that bystanders were more likely to intervene indirectly than directly, and information about the audience size and viewership increased the likelihood of flagging cyberbullying posts through serial mediation of public surveillance, accountability, and personal responsibility. The study has implications for understanding bystander effect in cyberbullying, and how to develop design solutions to encourage bystander intervention in social media.

Grindr, a location-based real-time dating application, provides sexual-minority men (SMM) a space through which they can identify, access, and communicate with one another. Although previous research has examined user motivations and public self-disclosure patterns on Grindr, we investigate the effects intimate self-disclosure and sexting via the application's private messaging on internalized homophobia and loneliness. Using the Internet-enhanced self-disclosure hypothesis (ISDH) as a framework, we conducted an online survey of 274 Grindr users. Serial mediation analysis showed support for the ISDH, suggesting that Grindr use was negatively associated with loneliness. Intimate self-disclosure and internalized homophobia mediated the relationship between Grindr use and loneliness, but sexting had no relationship with internalized homophobia or loneliness. We discuss implications for the ISDH, Grindr, self-disclosure, and sexting.