DIGITAL TRAUMA: REPRESENTATION OF ONLINE VIOLENCE AND CYBERBULLYING IN YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

Abstract

The increased incorporation of digital technologies into the lives of adolescents has led to new types of psychological vulnerability, and cyberbullying and online harassment appear to be a significant source of digital trauma. The Young Adult (YA) literature, which has long been concerned with the emotional and social issues of the youth, has also started to take up the issues of online violence and investigate them. This paper reviews the topic of digital trauma in the chosen YA novels published between 2010 and 2025 and how authors portray cyberbullying, reputational damage, digital surveillance, and the emotional disorientation of the adolescent characters. The study is based on the trauma theory, cyberpsychology, and narrative analysis to examine the narrative techniques that depict online aggression and its long-term impact on the psychology of users. The results indicate that common themes are shaming by the masses, identity misrepresentation, social isolation, and the merging of digital and real-world trauma. The chosen readings also provide an example of a continuum of coping strategies, ranging from silence and withdrawal to building resilience, telling the truth, and digital resistance. The paper has contended that beyond reflecting digital anxieties of the modern-day youth, YA literature can also be used as a pedagogical site for developing critical digital citizenship, empathy, and awareness. Through foregrounding digital trauma, YA stories have been playing a part in the continued discourse on the emotional environment of adolescents in an increasingly networked world.