Cyberbullying Movies: The Relevance of the Cinematic Portrayal of Cyberbullying

Movies have been the modern world’s storytellers since their advent at the turn of the twentieth century, having had significant impacts on individuals and entire societies. Many have highlighted the kinds of psychosocial problems that beset modernity, constituting interpretive frames of what is going on, often leading to society-wide reflections on the state of the world. Starting in the 2010s, a new film genre emerged that focused on a truly troubling and growing problem, namely the spread of cyberbullying and its deleterious impact on young people in school settings. This chapter looks at this genre as a frame for grasping the real-life emotional consequences associated with cyberbullying and the spread of Cyber Hate. After discussing the Columbine school shooting and its connection to the movie Natural Born Killers, which seemingly provided a rationalization for the actions that the bullied teenage shooters took, the focus is put on the relevance of the cyberbullying movies to the whole issue of bullying, given their ability to portray the situation in emotionally direct ways to all audiences, regardless of age.