The enduring echoes of juvenile bullying: the role of self-esteem and loneliness in the relationship between bullying and social media addiction across generations X, Y, Z.

Objective: Being bullied is a profoundly distressing experience for children and adolescents, with the potential for adverse mental and behavioral outcomes throughout their adult years. This study aims to explore the association between juvenile bullying, self-esteem, loneliness, and social media addiction among men across three generational cohorts: X, Y, and Z. Method: The study utilized an online survey, administering structured questionnaires to 797 men aged 18-58 divided into three generational cohorts: 142 individuals from Gen X (born between 1965 and 1980), 275 from Gen Y (born between 1981 and 1996), and 380 from Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2005). Results: The findings demonstrate that across all three generations, there was a positive correlation between experiencing bullying in one's youth and social media addiction in adulthood. Among Gen X, self-esteem did not act as a mediator in this relationship, nor did loneliness moderate the links between bullying and social media addiction, or between self-esteem and social media addiction. However, for Gen Y and Z, self-esteem was found to mediate the relationship between bullying and social media addiction. Loneliness moderated the association between self-esteem and social media addiction in Gen Y and the association between bullying and social media addiction in Gen Z. Conclusion: The differences observed among generational cohorts can be attributed to changes in masculinity norms, the evolution of bullying types, and the rapid development of social media platforms, catering to the distinct needs and gratifications of each generation.

Attitudes Formation toward Minority Outgroups in Times of Global Crisis-The Role of Good and Bad Digital News Consumption.

This paper examines the relationships between the consumption of 'bad' or 'good' digital economic news and attitudes toward immigrant and ethnic minorities during the crisis that developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study considered attitudes toward two minority groups in Israel: immigrant citizens from English-speaking countries, and Israeli Palestinian citizens, an ethnic minority. The data were collected through an online survey of 866 respondents, who were members of the majority population group. The study found that, during the global crisis, exposure to bad digital news was associated with more positive attitudes toward both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged minority groups. Moreover, in times of global crisis, people focused mostly on local rather than global digital news. In contrast to the idea of Intergroup Threat Theory, the study revealed that feelings of economic threat during the global crisis engendered higher cohesion between different population groups, and more positive attitudes toward minorities. In times of crisis, bad news for the economy brings good news for social solidarity-people tend to rally around the flag; this phenomenon even occurs between groups engaged in years-long, protracted conflict.

Coevolution between Parasocial Interaction in Digital Media and Social Contact with LGBT People.

Using a mixed methods approach, this research focuses on the association between exposure to online LGBT-related content and direct contact with LGBT people. We found that online parasocial contact facilitates both offline and online social interaction with members of the LGBT community. Consistent with parasocial contact theory, we found a positive association between exposure to LGBT-related content in online news and on social media and attitudes toward LGBT people. Moreover, these attitudes partly mediated the association between parasocial contact in digital media and social contact. Such mediation was found for all types of parasocial contact (online news and social media) and all types of direct social contact (offline and online). We also found that uncertainty reduction, humanization, and crowdsourcing can be important facilitators for effective parasocial contact with minorities through digital media.

Do disabilities impede the use of information and communication technologies? Findings of a repeated cross-sectional study - 2003-2015.

BACKGROUND: The current research focuses on trends of Internet adoption and digital uses among people with disabilities over a thirteen-year period. METHODS: The study is based on data elicited from a repeated cross-sectional study collected by means of Annual Social Surveys conducted by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics between 2003 and 2015. The sample included 95,145 respondents, among them 22,290 respondents with disabilities. RESULTS: The rate of Internet access and digital uses increased continuously among disabled people; however the gap between them and the population without disabilities was preserved. We found that Internet use depends on a number of socio-economic characteristic. Socio-demographic variables were much more powerful in predicting Internet use vs non-use among the total population, compared to predicting digital uses among Internet users. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings make it possible to identify disadvantaged groups in which disability intersects with low rates of Internet adoption and belonging to unprivileged groups: Arabs, the religious, the elderly, lower SES individuals. The effects of most of these variables did not change in the period under study. Generally, we recommend finding a way to promote courses that focus on promoting digital literacy in general and eHealth literacy in particular in small groups of people of similar age, digital skill level and motor / health problems. Considering the high representation of Arabs among people with disabilities and lower rates of Internet adoption and use among Arabs, it is recommended that efforts continue to increase the scope and quality of Arabic language content published on Israeli eHealth sites. In order to diminish income-based digital divide we recommend providing publicly accessible free information technologies, for example, in community clubs, senior citizen clubs, and independent- and assisted- living projects for the disabled.

[Talking or doing? Gender differences in physical activity participation in Israel at the threshold of the 21st century].

The absence of physical activity is an important factor affecting illness, mortality and high costs of medical treatment in the western world. The advances in technology in the last couple of decades led to a more passive lifestyle, thereby affecting population health. Although the number of Israelis declaring regular participation in physical activity is rising, their numbers are lower in comparison to percentages in the western world. The aim of the present research is to assist in planning an incentive policy towards physical activity at leisure by mapping the popularity of this activity among an adult Jewish population both by participation and attitudes towards the subject. Data were collected in 2007 as part of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) involving face-to-face interviews. In the current sample of 18 year olds and older, 1032 interviewees were divided into groups by cluster analysis. Findings suggest that we can not relate to the population as a whole, but rather, to four different types: A. Sport in the soul--pro-sport as well as active in physical activity. B. Anti-sport--holds a negative standpoint towards sport and not active physically. C. Armchair sportsman--Holds a positive attitude towards sport, however they are not active and D. Sports as fashion--an active person who holds a neutral or negative attitude towards sport. While attempting to characterize the types by gender, the study suggests that women tend to be part of the Anti-Sport and Sports as fashion, unlike men who tend to be part of the Sport in the soul and Armchair sportsman groups. Furthermore, differences were more highly related to standpoints rather than behavior. Men hold more positive attitudes towards sport than women who participate in physical activity for instrumental reasons. Such differences can be explained by gender differences in socialization in sport. If such instrumental needs will be fulfilled by alternative means, women might reduce or will even discontinue their physical activity and the health benefits from such activity will be lacking. In order to avoid such outcomes, it is important that the main socialization agents will encourage competitive and social aspects of physical activities between both genders.