The Online Bystander Effect: Evidence from a Study on Synchronous Facebook Communications

According to the Bystander Effect, the tendency to help a victim in a problematic situation decreases with the number of spectators to whom the request for help is made The main aim of this study is to investigate this phenomenon in an online environment characterised by synchronous communication. This paper evaluates how some subjective variables and the participants’ familiarity with online interactions can affect the tendency to help others. The results of the study show that the Bystander Effect is present even in online environments. In particular, the results indicate that the tendency to help decreases not linearly with the increasing of the group size which received the help request. Moreover, the familiarity that a person has with online interactions has a significant association with his tendency to help. Finally, the general self-efficacy and social desirability appear as predictors of Bystander behaviour during online interactions with a victim.