Interpreting cyberbullying within fan culture: The relationship between celebrity worship and cyberbullying

With the development of the entertainment industry and the widespread use of electronic devices, worship of celebrities has become increasingly prevalent and fervent, accompanied by a rise in cyberbullying. Applying the general aggression model, our focus in this study was on the role of fans’ reactive anger and maternal rejection in the link between celebrity worship and cyberbullying. The participants were 847 college students. Analysis of data from a survey showed that reactive anger and maternal rejection both moderated the relationship between celebrity worship and cyberbullying. That is, when the level of reactive anger was high, the predictive effect of fans’ celebrity worship on cyberbullying was enhanced. Similarly, when the level of maternal rejection was high, the predictive effect of celebrity worship on cyberbullying also increased. Future research should explore comprehensive interventions integrating emotional regulation strategies and familial support systems to effectively address the issue of cyberbullying exacerbated by celebrity worship among college students.