• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.597-625
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• 2022

This study aimed to examine the hypothesis that intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental self-awareness would alleviate the association between sSchadenfreude and cyberbullying. 300 middle and high school students answered survey questionnaires including sSchadenfreude, cyberbullying behavior, (intrapersonal. interpersonal, and environmental) self-awareness, depression, and anxiety. After controlling depression and anxiety, theThe results reveal that first, Schadenfreude predicts cyberbullying behavior, so those who have a high level of Schadenfreude commit more online cyberbullying behavior. Second, intrapersonal and interpersonal self-awareness moderated the association between schadenfreude and cyberbullying, and those who were above average on intrapersonal and interpersonal self-awareness were more liable to commit cyberbullying, but those below average did not show a significant moderation effect. Third, whereas environmental self-awareness did not show a significant moderation effect. Specifically, those who know well what they think and do and what they look like in interpersonal relationships perpetrate more cyberbullying when their schadenfreude was high. However, knowing well about what was happening around them was not related to the likelihood of schadenfreude that lead to cyberbullying. The results of this study revealed that Schadenfreude, which deals with emotions on expecting the misfortune of others and the possibility of having antisocial characteristics, lead to actual cyberbullying behaviors of adolescents. Also, this study identified that intrapersonal and interpersonal self-awareness are harmful in causing cyberbullying in those with high Schadenfreude. Finally, the implication and the limitation of this study were discussed.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.80
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• pp.115-142
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• 2016

This study aims to reveal the content of and logic behind a recent negative public sentiment toward female idols with the example of a debate over songstress IU's fourth album that was released late last year. While previous studies on fandom have focused on the identification process towards entertainers and making community, a recent phenomenon of "anti-fandom" or "malicious comments" implies that more research is needed on negative emotions such as hostility or schadenfreude (feelings of pleasure from others' misfortunes). Schadenfreude is a social sentiment that originated in modern liberalism, which features contradictions between public equality and private ownership, and that has been intensified in neoliberalism, which features a maximization of this contradiction centering on a meritocracy. Celebrities in Korea often become the targets of schadenfreude, which is associated with the suspicion that they gain popularity not from their abilities but from "just being popular." It should also be noted that this kind of schadenfreude operates differently between male and female entertainers. Specifically, the acquisition of money and fame by modern women whose presence used to be located in the private possessions of males is considered to be due to their unjustified use of sexuality. This is also the background of the recent online misogyny culture in Korea. In this context, IU, who had been successful at building a differentiated image of "sister-like idol artist," became a valid target. Although accusing IU of utilizing pedophilia reflects a stalemate that a current politics of sexual violence faces, it rather damages the name of an individual than attracts public attention to the structural causes of childsexualabuse. This is why I see the way that pedophilia was used in the debate over IU as a schadenfreude. Consequently, the term pedophilia here contributes to an expansion of the entertainment economy that is sustained by rises and falls of the celebrities' stock prices.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.133-148
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• 2014

People enthusiastic about human brands eagerly engage in fan communities to share their common interests with others. Although sharing one's enthusiasm towards the same celebrities can give thempositive senses of we-ness (in-group identity, togetherness, camaraderie) and belongingness, negative sides also exist such as schadenfreude and trash talk. Even though the studies addressing the negative sides of fan community are gaining significance, no prior studies formally examined the negative consequences of engaging in a fan community and their effect on one's well-being. Therefore, this current study aims to investigate how engaging in fan community negatively affects members' psychological well-being through schadenfreude and trash talk. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that engaging highly in a fan community leads members to feel malicious pleasure at rivals' misfortunes and share negative opinions of rival human brands and fan communities. These negative consequences of fan community engagement ultimately lead to a lower level of psychological wellbeing, especially in the area of personal growth whereas fan community engagement has a direct positive effect on personal growth. By showing the negative influences of engaging in fan communities on members' well-being through schadenfreude and trash talk, the results of this study are expected to add depth to the existing literature.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2022

Although humans exist as Homo Empathicus, human society is actually constantly divided and conflicted between groups. The human empathy response is very sensitive to the justice of others, and depending on the level of others' justice, they may feel empathy or schadenfreude to the suffering of them. However, our empathy to others' suffering are not always fair, and have inherent limitations of ingroup-biased empathy. Depending on whether the suffering other persons belongs to an ingroup or an outgroup, we may feel biased empathy or biased schadenfreude to them without even realizing it. Recent advances in information and communication technology facilitate biased access to ingroup-related SNS or ingroup media, thereby deepening the establishment of a more biased semantic information network related groups. These processes, through interacting with the inherent limitation of empathy, can form a vicious cycle of more biased ingroup empathy and ingroup-related activities, and accelerate divisions and conflicts. This research investigated the properties and limitations of empathy by reviewing studies on the neural mechanism of empathy. By examining the relationship between empathy and justice from a neuroscientific point of view, this research tried to illuminate the modern society of division and conflict in a different dimension from the classical perspective of social science.