The Effects of Message Sensation Value on Bystander’s Behavior Intentions of Interving Bullying Incidents

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigates the effects of message sentiment value (MSV) on bystanders’ intentions to intervene in bullying incidents.

Methods: This study employed a randomized control-group post-test design. Participants were internet users aged 18 and above who were current students recruited through an online platform. A total of 486 participants completed the experiment. Using the Qualtrics online survey system, participants were categorized into high and low sensation-seeking groups based on their sensationseeking trait scores and then randomly assigned to one of three groups: two experimental groups (high-MSV video group and low-MSV video group) and a control group (no-video group). Afterward, their behavioral intentions to intervene
in bullying incidents as bystanders were measured and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted.

Results: After controlling for gender, sensation-seeking traits, past bullying experiences, and anti-bullying attitudes, participants who watched low-MSV videos demonstrated a higher intention to intervene in bullying incidents compared to those who did not watch any videos. However, participants who watched high-MSV videos did not show a significantly higher intention to intervene than the no-video group.

Conclusions: Using low message sensation value in anti-bullying videos is more effective in enhancing viewers' willingness to intervene. It is recommended that future designs of anti-bullying awareness videos consider using low MSV videos to ensure that the core message is effectively conveyed and received by the audience.