Not Just a Joke : Measuring the Psychological Impact of Verbal Harassment in University Environments
This article explores how verbal harassment disguised as jokes harms students' mental well-being and highlights the need for empathy in digital communication.
Student’s Name : Fany Indah Lestari
Student’s ID : 25240028
Class : 2A
Department : Psychology
Verbal harassment is often dismissed as harmless joking, especially in university settings where humor and casual interactions are common aspects of student life.
However, words that may seem playful to some can have significant psychological consequences for others.
Repeated exposure to degrading, sexually suggestive, or insulting comments can negatively affect students' self-esteem, sense of safety, emotional well-being, and overall academic experience.
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Therefore, understanding and measuring the psychological impact of verbal harassment is essential in recognizing that seemingly minor acts of communication can cause serious emotional harm and contribute to an unhealthy campus climate.
Last week, the public was shocked by the viral circulation of screenshots from a private group chat involving a group of students.
The messages, which contained explicit verbal harassment, quickly became the focus of intense social media scrutiny.
Beyond the initial outrage, the incident has sparked an important discussion about the ethics of digital communication.
It raises a critical question : where does humor end and harassment begin? This case illustrates that verbal harassment in digital spaces is rarely “just a joke”; rather, it reflects deeper issues related to group dynamics, psychological disinhibition, and the erosion of ethical boundaries.
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One of the primary drivers of such behavior is the Online Disinhibition Effect. Within private digital spaces, individuals often feel anonymous and completely secure. This “digital cloak” reduces the ethical restraints that typically exist in face to face interactions.
